


Suicide Squad

by SleepyFairy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Blood and Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Secret Identity, Slow Build, super slow updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:44:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 73,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyFairy/pseuds/SleepyFairy
Summary: A villain one day appears almost as if from a comic book with a ridiculous overpowered ability and Hongjoong just can’t stand losing to him, while Seonghwa finds it cute that he’s even trying to fight back. Yunho is not sure he wants anything to do with his villainous childhood friend no matter how soft he is for him, while all Yeosang wants is to find his own again. Wooyoung on the other hand is over his childhood already and San wishes he could be over it too when he see the same pain he went through on Jongho’s face.OrHalf of Ateez are super villains and the other half are superheroes.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 80
Kudos: 264





	1. Dazzlingly Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, it's my first story so I'm a bit apprehensive about my writing skills, but I'm having lots of fun with this au and practice makes perfect, right?
> 
> I hope someone can enjoy it, please let me know your thoughts or any good writing tips I would appreciate it a lot!

Yunho knew from a very young age he had powers. He was never sure what exactly they were. The best way to label him was maybe as a psych, but he couldn’t predict the future or read your palm, a psych in the sense that he could see what other people couldn’t.

As a kid he would always draw people with a swirl of color surrounding them and the adults would every time act like it was a work of art until someone asked him what were those representing and his younger self was astounded when no one seemed to really understand his response. 

He got more vocal about the lights surrounding people when he realised it something that everybody else was seeing. Although worrying the kindergarten teachers the little boy only wanted some validation, maybe he was just explaining it wrong or maybe he was special. The adults would play along, but he could feel the underlying falseness of their words and the worry surrounding him, overwhelming his senses as if he was doing something wrong to them. 

Eventually he stopped saying anything and they shrugged it off as kids play. The dazzlingly lights never disappeared, constantly surrounding each and every person sparkling in his vision like sequins in the sunlight popping their rainbow colors everywhere, but the odd bitter taste in his mouth and the concerned looks did go away and that was enough for the child to not let out a single word on the matter again.

✧

Flash forward a few years on, in elementary school. He sees a boy on the corner of the playground by himself and he didn’t even need to check his aura to feel his sadness radiating from a mile away. Being the energetic social butterfly he always was, he approached the kid to play with him and they quickly became friends.

They kept playing together everyday, the other kid didn’t seem to have any other friends nor did he seemed interested to, just happy to play with little Yunho. One day, before they were leaving to go home together a teacher asked him, “Yunho, did you have a fight with the other kids?”

“No, why?” He was confused, he would feel it if the other kids had bad feelings about him, wouldn’t he?

“We were just wondering why have you been playing alone this week, is everything okay? Is there a reason why you’re not playing with everyone?” the lady asked concerned.

“I wasn’t alone I was just playing with my new friend.” Wasn’t it obvious?

“Ah, maybe he’s in that phase where kids start having imaginary friends?” The teacher’s assistant whispered to the older lady that now looked confused. Yunho heard all she said and was getting impatient with them. How could they not see his friend when he was standing right beside him.

“Yunho, sweetie, what is the name of your new friend?” she asked, crouching down to be on eye level with her young student.

“Mingi.” Yunho answered looking at the other boy besides him. The other kept quiet.

He felt like he said something wrong, because the sudden cold and heavy feeling that surround his every sense knocked the air out of him. His teachers’ faces fell in shock, his pressure dropping with it and he just ran from there pulling his new friend with him not knowing what was the problem.

The more he ran the more frustrated he got, he didn’t do anything wrong so why did they reacted like this. Why were they acting like his friend didn’t exist and why were they so scared at his answered. They were meanies that didn’t wanna play with his new friend like everyone else, he thought. Why everyone avoided him? Didn’t they see how fun he was like Yunho did?

“Yunho! Yunho, wait.” His friend that was getting pulled by him called out, trying to get him to slow down.

The two came to a halt in a park, by the side of a river, and he could feel in his bones how Mingi was upset.

“I’m sorry” his friend kept repeating looking like he wanted to cry.

“Why?” It just frustrated Yunho even more that the other felt he had done something wrong, because he didn’t. It didn’t make sense.

“The teachers don’t like me, because they can’t find me.” And as Mingi said that he pointed towards the river and then it made sense. Because at that moment he too did not see Mingi. The only one he saw reflected on the water was himself.

Yunho took that fact in as any young kid would and immediately just ran from there. The next day at school he tried not to look at Mingi. Recess would come up and for a few days he did not want to go outside. He went back to playing with everyone and avoid his former friend like the plague. 

He hated how sad the other felt. He hated how he could feel it all around the room and he hated how it was his fault. No one seemed to notice any difference and he hated that too. The year ended, they switched classes and then he didn’t feel it anymore. He could pretend that it never happened like everyone else seemed to.

✧

He learned to keep his mouth shut about whatever he saw and felt, that’s why he would always surprise himself with new aspects to his powers whenever he would say something that suddenly was met with confusion. Many things that he considered normal growing up where not and he often pondered how different other people saw the world compared to him. 

Feelings were one of those things that surprised him. He was already ending middle school when he found out maybe people didn’t perceive them like he did as he expressed his concern for the school’s cheerleader captain that one day came into their classroom. 

She was only there a few minutes for an announcement of a event of some sorts and was much older than them, she wasn’t anyone that Yunho ever interacted with, but he felt such overwhelming sadness about her. He could feel it cold and thick in the air and it suffocated him, his eyes watering as as he put on a coat in the middle of the summer. 

He leaned down to comment about it with one his friends sitting besides him, but the only response he got was “What do you mean? She looks fine to me, too happy even. Isn’t her smile kinda creepy? I don’t think I ever saw her not smiling actually.” Yunho let it go after that, confused at what was that he was feeling. Her aura didn’t look great, with dark mute tones to it, but he knew better than to argue that.

The girl killed herself a week later. Yunho didn’t know how to feel about it when he heard the news. After a few more mismatched situations he connected the dots that being an empath was part of his powers. 

He could see in himself how that affected him, now that he was self aware. Could see how his need to please and cheer people up was developed as a form of immediate self gratification, feeling good as they felt happy and his avoidance of serious atmospheres were all in self preservation, hating the bad feeling everyone gave when the mood soured and he felt helpless to it. It was hard not to be shaped by other people’s emotions when they were so strong, he supposed.

✧

At the start of high school he thought he had cleared up all he could do. He tried his best to center himself and not be swayed by the things he saw and felt. He became a pro in pretending he was seeing the world the same as everyone else. He just wanted to be normal. That was what every teenager seemed to want anyway, so he went along trying to not get singled out.

One day he was eating with his friends at the cafeteria when a guy almost as tall as him passed by and grabbed an apple from the tray the girl besides him had in front of her.

“Hey! That has an owner, you know.” He let out annoyed at the blatant disregard from the guy, making him stop in his tracks looking back genuinely surprised.

“Wha-, you scared me! Who are you yelling at?” The girl besides him exclaimed as surprised, looking up from her phone.

“Didn’t you see him just grab your apple?” Yunho asked confused.

“Ah, someone grabbed it? Oh my God, did you see who? That’s so rude, I paid for it!” The girl besides him start going on a rant to him, turning her head to look around but ignoring the perpetrator that was right in front of her somehow. He didn’t understand how she didn’t see the boy when he towered over their table like a giant tree in front of them.

“What do you mean who, he’s right h-” Yunho stopped himself as he saw the cocky smile on his face and combined with the overwhelming confusion from his friend he finally got that this was one of those things that he couldn’t just explain.

The boy took a bit of the apple right there in front of him, looking down on them as if it was a challenge and that for whatever reason that made Yunho blood boil. He doesn’t even remember it that well anymore. He might have been having a bad day or he just never dealt well with cocky people from the beginning.

The feeling that arrogance itself passed to Yunho always felt like such an intense personal provocation, to feel it from someone else even when he had nothing to do with the situation, he regularly had trouble staying away from the emotion although he knew he should ignore and move on. The cockiness frustrated him, how it was like he was getting taunted into a game that in the end he could only lose. People that thought they had the upper hand usually were right, that was just how life worked and that pissed him off.

He thought he was past that childish indignation by then but either way, Yunho just gave in to the impulse, got up and pulled on the boy’s forearm holding it as he tried to grab the apple from his other hand quick enough that he didn’t need to explain any of this to his distracted friends.

“Hey! Is that the guy that got my apple?” The girl suddenly could see him, as well as all their friends apparently, as they stood up to help Yunho that were still struggling to hold the other’s arms while he standed awkwardly in-between the table and the bench.

That surprised Yunho into letting him go and he could hear a bunch of surprised gasps and exclamations asking where did the boy disappear to. They couldn’t see him anymore even though he was still there just a few steps back then before, looking around shocked. Yunho was equally shocked. The boy in question took the chance to run off.

So the boy did exist. He wasn’t a ghost that only Yunho could see. His mind raced as the bell rang with his group pulling him away to class, commenting on how weird that all just was.

Yunho had always concluded he could see ghosts. That was the conclusion he got from his ‘imaginary friend’ incident years ago. And until then he had never thought back on it again. He made that conclusion but never tested it, afraid of what he could find. He also remembered about seeing ghosts as part of his repertoire, but he never really gave the kid that brought him to such misguided conclusion a second thought.

In the years between kindergarten and high school he never saw anything like it again. Although You’d expect him to be especially sensitive to the supernatural from his powers, everything he saw and felt was very humane and alive. 

People die everyday with unfinished businesses, surely if he saw actual ghosts it would be more frequent than this. His friends had see him, even if for only a brief moment, so it wasn’t like he didn’t exist. He had to be alive. Why Yunho’s touch made him visible?

The only two incidents like this were about two boys around his age. What were the chances that it was the same boy? What were the chances that it were different boys? Both made equal sense, which was none at all, and it left him wondering for years until he got an answer.

✧

Yunho discovered the possible answer to his years of doubt as he finally understood the last characteristic of his power. It wasn’t an instant epiphany, but a whole process. Up until then he was working under the assumption that he was the only one with powers. He was the one that was different, the odd one out of the bunch. 

He knew about people that claimed they could read the future or see your past life from the media and sometimes he wondered if he was someone like that, since auras and empathic feelings were occasionally mentioned. However he didn’t have any cool party trick up his sleeve to show for it, he couldn’t tell you anything beyond of what people were feeling right at that moment and people tend to already figure that out on their own.

He felt alone in his struggle. He moved to Seoul for college and living in a bigger city was making things way harder than ever before. It wasn’t sufficient that he had to live choking among the crowd of other people’s emotions assaulting his every sense, he also had to act like it didn’t affect him at all.

A few months into his first semester the first big “villain” incident happened though. It wasn’t the first time they attacked, but it was the first time that the media and government acknowledged it and Yunho had been there to witness it happen.

He was on the train making his way back to his tiny apartment in the outskirts of town. The rent was cheap and he got the privacy he needed, but it was far, really really far and the several long train rides he went through to get there from classes or his part time job was quick to take a toll on him. 

Being trapped with so many people for so long was exhausting for him. In the morning people felt for the news they saw before going out and at night everyone was adding up to his end of the day exhaustion with their own. Most of his classes were in the very early morning or a little into the early evening, like the one he had been coming back from that night. When the train stopped in its tracks with a halt Yunho barely reacted, sighing with the sudden worry from everyone around dawning over him.

It wasn’t completely crowded, every seat was taken but only a few people were standing. He pulled his backpack to his chest in case they needed to come out and closed his eyes in hope that next time he opened them again they would be moving again. Suddenly a huge metallic impact noise was heard though, and he was sure they wouldn’t. 

He felt the rush of fear before he heard the screams. He was in the very end of the train and the situation took its time to reach the passengers there, but once it did it only escalated as he saw people panic and he made his escape towards the tiny bathroom there at the very end of the wagon with a few others lucky enough to fit in with him. 

At first everyone thought it was a simple robbery, and maybe if they waited it out no one would notice the hiding spot. Yunho soon noticed it wasn’t the case as he saw something he had never seen before approaching.

Even through the wall separating him from the rest of the boxed space he could see a strong golden aura that shone so strong it hurt his eyes and he felt like he had to be wearing sunglasses to see it properly.

He then heard that voice. It told everyone to stop and the people around him suddenly weren’t trembling in fear anymore, their eyes frozen in place and Yunho held his breath knowing something bad was coming from this.

“Everyone inside the bathroom come out.” It commanded. And they did it in a calm and orderly fashion that felt ridiculous compared to moments before when they were all scrambling to fit in there.

Yunho didn’t come out. He later would say it was a strategically thought out move to stay hidden, but honestly he was just scared. Something was wrong with everyone, and it was obvious it wasn’t affecting him. He didn’t wanna find out what would happen if he got caught.

He heard the footsteps as the aura he saw started distancing itself from his hiding spot and he finally let out the breath he was holding. The door was wide open and he could see everyone with their backs turned to him, a lot more people there than before everything happened. He grabbed the door to make a shield as he peeked from there, they didn’t move an inch staring at the path the golden person had come from.

He had the luck to notice someone he knew. Well, he didn’t know the man, but he saw him before. Kim Hongjoong was in at least three of his classes and always seemed to take the lead in most heated debates in them so it was hard not to notice him.

The short man was staring zombie like as everyone else, but his aura was weakly swaying. Yunho took that as a chance and tried holding his wrist to pull him his way. The moment their skin touched though it seemed like Hongjoong immediately woke up from whatever spell was cast on him. He looked around confused and Yunho silently pulled him forward with a finger lifted to his lips.

They stayed there until everything was over which took roughly an hour but felt like an eternity. They kept silent waiting for something, monitoring the noises, but the man didn’t come back their way. After a while their door was forced open and the two of them almost had a heart attack, Yunho falling downwards cowering behind his tiny companion, but it was only the police informing them to evacuate the train. 

They were separated to take statements. Yunho didn’t have much to say. That didn’t stop him from getting held up till dawn in the midst of the whole thing though. He sent his request to live in the college dorm as soon as he got home.

✧

The other day Hongjoong sought him out, still looking pretty shook from the events, a bit jumpy and fidgeting, a stark comparison to his usual confident exterior.

“What did you do yesterday?” he asked Yunho with a serious look on his face, foregoing any greeting.

“What?”

“You made it stop.” He said as if it that would make Yunho understand, but it didn’t.

The older man seemed displeased with the confusion he got as an answer walking away before Yunho could say anything. The feeling he gave off was one Yunho didn’t like feeling. It was frustration, but the type that came off insecurity. The feeling of helplessness left a bad taste in his mouth. He hoped it wouldn’t become a trauma for the other.

Yunho couldn’t imagine the type of person that would have that type of aura until he saw them on tv later that day. There was footage of the inside of the train when it all happened. The golden person was a man not much older than himself, wearing a long black coat with red detailing and a red mask, he was followed by a tall man dressed in a similar fashion. The second guy in contrast had no aura whatsoever and Yunho gawked at that.

They showed how everyone went towards the end of the train in a synchronised way reminding him of a more casual version of marching soldiers and how the two invaders kept walking around the front wagons going through people’s purses. 

The footage had no audio and was cut in small pieces as it didn’t show the part the golden person went through to the end of the train. It felt like important pieces were missing as they didn’t seem to be finding what they wanted, not seeming to take anything, but what really took his attention was the news anchor words when he reported about the perpetrators.  _ ‘he appeared to be working alone...’  _

That second guy’s presence was painfully obvious for him. No aura, not being seen… It kept happening to Yunho. He again wondered if there was any chance that it was the same person.

✧

It took a few more incidents with that same person piled up for Yunho to start to understand the full implications of his powers since the information was never very accurate, lots of he says she says and probably some form of censor considering how serious the police was taking it. They tried to downplay everything but it was obvious it was a huge issue.

One day the golden person came onto the news himself. He appeared in a bright red suit, a bright red mask matching and Yunho couldn’t help laugh at the flashy tackiness of it. The man ordered the anchor off his seat and replaced him, his companion there as well sitting on the counter by the side of the screen.

“Every adult that is watching this right now in *** area will head to the park in front of *** station immediately. If you have kids at home put them to bed before you leave.” The man finished with a smirk.

He couldn’t be serious, Yunho thought. Yet the memories of the train came to him, how he ordered people like that as well. The tone of his voice, it made Yunho feel light. 

Yunho lived in the area he mentioned and couldn’t stop himself from think maybe going to the park right now sounded good. Even though it was way too late to be in a park in such a shady area, he felt compelled to do it. He didn’t though. He wondered if people were indeed being brainwashed to do it. Yunho felt glad for being different for the first time in his life. 

He thought back to Hongjoong in the train. He wasn’t different, he didn’t have a way to escape it, if this guy really was controlling people. Which should be impossible, but technically his own powers should be impossible as well.

Hongjoong was in the same train as his that time. It was the last train he took, which maybe meant he lived around the same area? It was a longshot, but there wasn’t much else to do around there. Would he be going to the park right now? There were a lot of people that would be going if this man’s power worked over the screen, could he even find Hongjoong in the crowd if that was the case?

He wasn’t gonna go out there just because he was worried about this random guy he doesn’t even know that well, would he?

✧

Turns out he would. Hongjoong’s aura and emotional the day following the first incident was enough to push Yunho over the edge with worry. And luck must be part of his powers because he found Hongjoong ridiculously easy. Lots of people were indeed going to the park and when Yunho got to the entrance he spot the person he was looking for right away only a few meters away, walking that weird march everyone else seemed to be doing.

Yunho remembered Hongjoong as the poster boy for fashion majors, his hair a show stopper and always well dressed, but now he only wore sweatpants and a oversized shirt making Yunho think that he really was forced come here rather than planned to go out. When he touched his shoulder he had a reaction similar to the last time, looking around frantically and confused as if he just woke up from a dream.

“You!” he exclaimed seeing Yunho holding onto him.

“Yeah, me, I can’t explain right now, but we gotta get out here.” The taller answered hoping they could leave the eerie zombie crowd before he had to answer any questions. He really didn’t think through the aftermatch of his actions, his intended plan only going up to that action of waking him up.

“Why? What is happening? How aren’t you affected by him?” The questions spilled from the other’s lips a bit too fast for Yunho to keep up, laced with suspicion.

“Look, I know as much as you do okay and I don’t really wanna stay to see what happens, so how about we get out of here first and talk later.” He hoped that was enough to convince him, a bad presentiment at the back of his head.

The other seemed reluctant, but they went back towards the entrance again. Yunho stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the bright red suit standing directly in their way, Hongjoong bumping into his back. 

“What?” The shorter asked.

“Nothing, let’s just leave through the other side.” Yunho tried sounding nonchalant about it, in contrast to the panic he truly was feeling. He didn’t have time to explain this now when they were in immediate danger. All he could do was pull the other another way and hope he followed, but of course Hongjoong didn’t make things easy.

“Why, the entrance is right there.” He had now stopped. “What did you see there?” Hongjoong tried looking back and going the opposite way Yunho was pushing them towards.

Honestly saving this tiny man’s stubborn ass was presenting much more trouble than he originally expected, and he wasn’t sure it was worth the effort. The last thing he wanted was to stop and catch up with his supposed childhood imaginary friend right now.

“Ugh, just… Trust me okay, I’ll tell everything after I swear.” Yunho tried to express how desperate he was with his eyes.

“You better tell me everything later.” The other reluctantly agreed and stopped resisting to being pulled forward again. Yunho looked over his shoulder. The tall man seemed to have noticed them and was walking their way. He did look a bit familiar, but Yunho doubt that would save them if they were caught, even if they really did meet before.

“We gotta get out of here  _ now. _ ” Yunho started full on sprinting, Hongjoong following his pace without protest this time.

✧

They ran for what felt like ages that night until they got to the other side. It managed to exhaust Hongjoong enough for him to let Yunho off the hook till the next day. They both worried overnight about what was happening in that park, but it turns out it wasn’t anything as serious as they expected. 

It was a demonstration of power. Everyone there was ordered to take a picture of the golden person and post it online with the caption “You can’t escape the Cardinal”. The Cardinal, seemed to be name the public enemy was going by right now, like a villain out of a comic book. Yunho wondered what was the story with the name, but he guessed he would find out soon enough if the guy was campaigning his evil deeds on the internet.

His musings were interrupted as Hongjoong entered the coffee shop they arranged to meet at, being introduced by the little bell at the door ringing. He made a beeline toward his table, not stopping to order anything and Yunho already felt tired just by feeling his determination. He was hoping this didn’t turn into a full on interrogation, but his situation wasn’t looking good.

“Start speaking.” He said sitting down.

“Not even a hello or anything?” The younger tried.

“Oh where are my manners, hello, how are you, I’m fine thank you. Now talk.” He had the nerve to roll his eyes just to frustrate him more. 

A waitress came by to see if Hongjoong wanted anything to drink and Yunho took the chance to gather his thoughts. He was preparing his excuses all morning training answers to any questions he could come up with, but being put on the spot to explain himself like this wasn’t what he was expecting.

The other must have noticed his sour expression because once they were left alone he started apologizing with a sigh. 

“Sorry, I’ve just been having a bad day.” And didn’t Yunho know that, he again had that heavy insecure feeling around him in every class they met and sometimes Yunho swore he could feel it from several classrooms away. “Just tell me what you know about the Cardinal, please.” His eyes and tone now pleading rather than demanding.

“I don’t know anything about that dude, only what I see on the news, in fact I’m sure you must know more than me since you saw him in person and I didn’t.” And that was true. The only new information he had was about his little sidekick help, that wasn’t really little at all, but Yunho decided to leave that out. “What happened that time anyway?” 

“I thought I was the one getting answers here.” Hongjoong pouted at that, but continued to answer anyway. “He just barged in and we got told to move to the end of the train, I think he was looking for something, but my mind went blank when spoke. Like blank as if I got a full body anesthesia blank. I only came to when you pulled me to hide with you. I heard other people didn’t till the cops showed up. Like a full hour got robbed of them, how can you not notice that. And then last night again.” He finished looking down. 

Yunho could tell what type of person Hongjoong was from those few times they meet alone. He brimmed with fire and determination, that was usually his default mode and when something negative happened that he had no control over, he would get frustrated at his own helplessness as if he himself was in the wrong for not stopping it from happening.

There was more depth to a human being than this, but he felt those two recurring emotions already spoke great deals of who Kim Hongjoong was.

“I don’t really know anything, I was just a guy that was hiding in the bathroom.” Yunho started trying to clear his side. “I went to the park thinking maybe you’d be in trouble. Cuz, you know, we were in the same train and stuff… So like, I assumed… maybe you lived around there?” It sounded dumb and he wished he’d thought before he spoke, now it sounded like he either had a crush or was a creepy stalker when he honestly didn’t even really know the guy. Yay. Go Yunho. “Look, I just felt bad not doing anything when I saw the news and thought of the people in the train, so I went there to help in any tiny _safe_ way I could.”

“There’s not many convenient trains at that hour that would get there fast enough, you must live close, right?” He kept his interrogation going, thankfully ignoring Yunho’s embarrassing words, but Yunho knew what he was implying.

“Yeah, I live a few blocks away from the station.” He didn’t know how to avoid this train of thought. It was impossible to ignore it.

“You came there out of your own free will.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes” Yunho answered anyway. He already had made his mind the former night while he couldn’t sleep. If he couldn’t think of an excuse he might as well own up to it.

“How?” Hongjoong eyes squinted at him in suspicion, as if that made Yunho a threat like the golden guy. The Cardinal. Yunho was still having trouble with the lame new name. 

The defensive stare piercing through him hurt, but it wasn’t wrong of Hongjoong to be careful, he told himself. In fact the best thing you could be with everything unexplainable in life was to be cautious, right. He was the weird one, he couldn’t complain. He just wanted to get this over with and go back to his normal life, where all this serious heavy feelings had no place to weight down on him and he wasn’t reminded that he was an abnormality.

“Just I’m not really what you’d call normal and it paid off against this guy, I guess.” He started saying, but didn’t know how to continue to describe his situation to other people without seeming crazy. He never had to put anything related to his power into words before.

“What do you mean not normal?” Hongjoong pressed and Yunho’s face scrunched in thought.

The words that came to his mind felt wrong. He didn’t get affected because he saw his aura? That didn’t feel right. Why didn’t he get affected? Because he was different. Then why his touch also made Hongjoong wake up from it? He wasn’t different. Yunho didn’t do anything.

The incident with the invisible boy in high school came to his mind suddenly. His touch made him visible. His touch made The Cardinal’s command stop working. He always felt alone in his struggles with his powers, so he never considered other people having them. Now it made sense, he could stop other powers. That’s why he saw that boy, because his power didn’t work on him. 

So it should be the same boy, right? How many invisible boys were there running around in the world? He moved to a different and bigger city now though, so maybe there were many that he wasn’t aware of.

“Yunho?” the man in front of him called him back to earth, before he got too lost in his own head.

“You saw The Cardinal, right? How he commanded people with his voice, you felt that.” Yunho started again, finally settling on an approach to explain himself.

“Yes.” The other responded him seriously.

“So you believe me when I say he has some type of power. I mean, you know, like a superpower from a comic book, something that a superhero would have.” His thoughts left his mouth like scrambled words as soon as he said the word ‘power’ out loud. It just felt silly to say that, much more to elaborate on it even after the notion lived in his head for so long.

“More like a villain, but yes, I believe it.”

“I have one too. Something I can do is neutralize other powers. That’s why his doesn’t affect me.” Yunho finally said with his eyes cast down, scared of the reaction he would get. He was half ready to turn it into a joke if the other didn’t believe him, a recurring coping mechanism for him already at the tip of his tongue, but deep inside he knew it’d hurt even he saved himself the embarrassment. 

“Something you can do? Is there more to it?” Hongjoong asked. Was that really the part the other wanted to focused on? Yunho cringed just thinking on what to answer, he wasn’t expecting to be believed so easy to start with.

“Yes, but that’s the only important part.” He said hoping the other wouldn’t push it.

To his surprise Hongjoong really didn’t push it. He hummed at his answer and grew quiet deep in thought sipping on his coffee that was already cold by then. It felt surreal to talk about this with someone else like this, specially the way the older was taking it.

“I get it. Then do you think you have the power to stop that guy?”

“What?” That question caught Yunho completely by surprise.

“You said you can neutralize powers, can’t you just touch that guy and make his powers stop working?” Hongjoong explained his thoughts as if that was the simplest possible answer to the problem that was The Cardinal.

“It’s not that simple, first of all I don’t think I can do it permanently, so I’d need to be touching him forever if you want him to never give out an order again. Also, how would I even approach him? Not to mention the people already under his control to start with.” Yunho started babbling the innumerable flaws with that thinking, really eager for a chance to steer away from the topic and not wanting to give the impression that he was powerful like that in any way.

“You don’t think?” the other raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, not impressed by his excuses.

“It’s not like there’s many powerful people around volunteering themselves for me to try to erase their powers. I’m not even sure how I really do it, it’s more of a passive skill.”

Hongjoong also didn’t seem impressed with the simplified explanation.

“I also don’t think he’s hard to approach, he works alone and acts all cocky. I’m sure we can surprise hi-” the older started, but Yunho quickly cut him off.

“We? Dude, I don’t know about you, but I want nothing to do with this.” He was the one scaring Yunho now.

“Look, right now you’re the only one that has any known form of counter to his power, don’t you feel like you need to do something? Controlling innocent people like puppets, doesn’t that disgust you even a little bit?” Hongjoong stared at him exasperated, but the fear in his words shone through by the end of his sentence.

And Yunho hadn’t thought about it like that yet. Wording it like that he understood the other’s fear and his latest mood swings. The fact that you could be controlled without any consent like this at any time on someone’s whim could really make anyone feel helpless.

Still he wouldn’t budge, not only he was scared as hell and adamant on maintaining the normal power-free life he worked so hard to upkeep till now, he was also sure they couldn’t get past the big guy to start with. Yunho wasn’t a fighter at all. He was at best a support character. And as a game expert he could say for sure the stupidest thing you could do was to go headfirst against the boss alone while playing support.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, I know for a fact that we can’t reach him.” he started, already expecting Hongjoong to start questioning him.

“And what makes you say that?” the vexed expression on Hongjoong’s face upset him the slightest bit, as if Yunho was the one being difficult.

“He has a second person working with him.” he let out finally.

“What? How do you even know that?” the other asked suspicion coming back to his tone.

“It’s obvious, but no one sees it. He has this invisible giant bodyguard working with him. Only I can see him because, like The Cardinal, his power doesn’t affect me.” he answered knowing how ridiculous it sounded, but a bit too tired to word it more convincingly.

Hongjoong looked at him for the first time like he was crazy. It almost felt satisfying to finally receive the reaction Yunho had been expecting the whole conversation. Almost, but not really. Just a way to cope with the pent up hurt of seeing things no one else saw. 

But then Hongjoong’s eyes sparked with realisation.

“Yesterday, that was what you were seeing when you kept looking back? This guy was there?”

“Yeah, he noticed that we stopped and was coming to check. Seriously he’s as tall as I am and kinda intimidating, he scares me more than the Cardinal does for sure.” Yunho answered letting out a relieved sigh that the older was smart enough to connect the dots by himself.

“I kept seeing an empty space where you were looking behind us, I would never imagine we were being chased.”

“Yeah, can’t relate. So, can you just let go of this vigilante fantasy you’re thinking about and just try to stay out of this like any normal citizen? Cuz that’s what I’m gonna do.” he just wanted to escape this whole conversation at that point. The other’s aura that flaid with determination, the bright tones of red not only shone too brightly, they indicated that Hongjoong had no intent of backing down and he didn’t want to get caught up in it.

“Even if you say that is not like I have a choice whether I get controlled on not. And it can’t just keep happening. I don’t know what I can do, but it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Yunho didn’t need to understand the feeling of being controlled to be able to literally taste the bitter feeling of utter defeat in his mouth from Hongjoong’s feelings. He pulled a napkin from the side and a pen out of his pocket and start writing something down.

“Here’s my number. If you get caught in something like this again try to call me before anything happens. I’d feel bad if you weren’t there anymore to yell about how my side of the debate team was wrong in every damn philosophy class we have. I gotta go already or else I’ll be late.” he joked, handing the paper ready to finally get out of the suffocating atmosphere.

“Okay.” Yunho was already getting up when Hongjoong grabbed his wrist for a second. "Thank you really.” 

“Don’t mention it.” The grateful look he was receiving was not something he knew how to deal with. Not when he spent the whole time expecting to be shunned away. The whole proactive heroic streak on the other caught him by surprise, but he’d be lying if he wasn’t a least touched at how his power wasn’t meet with disgust.

✧

After that the two of them unexpectedly became really good friends. It was obvious to Hongjoong that Yunho was a pretty great guy, offering his help when he really didn’t have to. And Hongjoong himself was pretty outgoing and popular among students, he was already on his second year and was always pretty vocal in and outside of class, so he knew most people in his own major at the very least compared to Yunho that was still getting a feel for the college life.

Soon one was inviting the other to parties, doing their class projects together and taking coffee breaks and library overnights alone was unthinkable now. Hongjoong followed suit on requesting for a place at the school dorms and entered the waiting list as Yunho had earlier. 

They didn't get any updates till the next semester, but it gave them time to enjoy frequent train rides together and bonding over the problems they had with such a long commute and shady neighborhood. To their surprise, and Yunho’s recurring luck, they became roommates when they got accepted into the college dorms, and helped each other move during the break. 

Since he started his first year he was having a hard time. Yunho was a very social guy, loved to party and hang out with friends as often as he could. He thrived when surrounded by good emotions, so he always did his best to incite the best of feelings on whoever he was around and avoided awkward and serious situation meticulously. 

When he moved it got tough. Everything started piling up almost immediately, the school work, the part time job he got, the long commutes and the fact that he didn't know anyone nor felt like he had the time to try and have a social life. It was all suffocating his extroverted self that suddenly only had the negativity surrounding him to focus on.

However the events that lead to them getting closer, while borderline traumatic, started a chain of overall positive events for both them. Yunho mused if luck really was part of his power, something he considered often.

It was hard to prove luck though, so he could only wonder. It seemed that every time his life was starting to dip down into a low phase it suddenly did a one eighty with a seemingly random event causing everything to magically work out in his favor.

If it wasn't a superpower then at the very least fate had taken a liking to him and for that he was grateful. 

✧

The Cardinal's attack didn't stop, if anything they got even more frequent. The news was mostly filled with his big displays of power. It was very clear that his first focus was to affect public moral and he was succeeding.

His second order of business seemed to be to punish criminals that escaped their trials unscathed. He had the power to make them confess and their crimes were usually enough to make the people completely unsympathetic. 

With that he started gaining a small following online, again planting the discourse of morality into modern society as they know. Was he a solution to the inefficient system that left those monsters free? Can you even consider a forced confession as a fact? Yunho was sure that it was as unconstitutional as it could get, but in his worse cases he could see the merit in his actions. 

Hongjoong couldn't. The whole attitude of the vigilante sparked anger in him, so much that Yunho avoided watching the news with him in the room and stored painkillers for the headache he'd get from the intense emotional push.

The villain was building an reign based on fear and he hated everyone's attention on that. But Yunho could see past it most of the time. He had the feeling the news were censoring a big part of what he must be doing, with lots of cuts and edits over any footage. What was posted online was biased towards The Cardinal's grandiose acts, usually promoted by the man himself.

However you can't edit out what you don't even know is there. Yunho's eyes always followed the big guy running around these incidents. The camera never followed him so the focus always sucked, and most of the time he was mainly orbiting around The Cardinal himself and exits like a bodyguard watching over for any trouble. 

So it stood out the times he was moving. He was always looking for something. Yunho never got a glimpse of what it was, but they had an end goal and it worried him how he was the only one seeing it.


	2. Tell Me Who You Who Am I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think I don't write action scenes well yet, then rest assured there won't be too many, please bear with me on this one. I have to start with some emotional character development, so maybe it's still a bit slow paced, but we'll get there eventually. Next chapter will change perspectives already. I'm kind of having one origin chapter per member, but the next ones will be double, I just took my time with Yunho and Hongjoong since they are the start of it all.
> 
> I had fun writing it, I hope you all enjoy!

Everything had settled into a peaceful routine that went on totally undisturbed for barely over three months since they started living together. That is until they got caught up in it again. 

On a night like any other, Yunho had just hit the button to look for a match on the game he was currently hooked on at the time. He usually had a few nights per week for himself and he spent it doing just that, playing games to forget how tired college actually made him and everyone else in the whole building.

The pop up to accept the found match appeared the same time as his phone started ringing besides him on the bed, it was Hongjoong calling. He picked it up immediately bringing it to his ear, but he only heard the sound of the other hanging up on him. Weird. The screen lighted up on his hand showing a new text notification out of many many he had missed before, apparently his roommate had been blowing up his phone for a while.

He hit cancel on the game’s dialogue box that counted down incessantly still waiting for him. 

  
  


**8 p.m**

**joongie**

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

dude anser me

its serious

finally

look i need you to come save me

**8:01 p.m**

**you**

wym

**8:01 p.m**

**joongie**

i don’t have much time to explain

cardinal at the mall

the one next to the museum we went last week

i tried running but this kid got lost

she said she lost her parents 

was crying

i couldn’t leave her

now we’re hiding on the second floor

cuz everything is happening t the first floor

if i move she cries 

very loudly

you gotta come help us idk what to do

if you come thru the stairs from the parking lot i think no one will see you

the cops aren’t here yet

please

**8:01 p.m**

**you**

got it

omw now

don’t move

**8:01 p.m**

**joongie**

couldn’t even if i wanted to

we’re not in a good spot

too close to the ledge

but i can see the stairs from here

_ joongie is now sharing his location _

  
  


The way there felt like hours, when in reality it didn’t take more than ten minutes since the location was so close that he could run there by foot. Around the mall a commotion was starting to form with a few police cars and media vans setting up camp, but thankfully the place wasn’t sealed up yet as Yunho managed to sneaky in through a back entrance into the garage floor.

It was unsettling, for the first time in a while the fear creeping up around him was no one else’s but his own while walking around the empty the floor. Going through the door and up the stairs, that were clearly never used beyond emergency situations, only made him feel worse. The unnatural light and silence filled the all white space giving it a bad atmosphere.

Once he finally made to the second floor doorway he understood what Hongjoong meant by bad spot. The floor they were in cut off in a circular shape above the downstairs entrance hall with a small glass ledge to give a clear view of what each side had to offer. It didn’t work in their favor as the exit in which he stood was between storefronts making the only path besides the edge.

Yunho risked taking a peek beyond his hiding spot behind the shielding door. Downstairs people stood filling the hall spaced out like an army formation waiting for orders, The Cardinal was easy to spot, dressed in a wine red velvet suit and sitting on a chair from a nail kiosk placed in front of his temporary minions. He looked inattentive scrolling through his phone. The other guy wasn’t anywhere in sight. Not good, Yunho thought.

In comparison to the missing invisible man, Hongjoong was easy to spot which was an even worse sign. If the villain downstairs did not continue with his back turned, he would be noticed right away. The small man hid away behind a plant pot, a small silhouette behind him barely visible as well, Yunho assumed that was the little girl he was trying to protect. They also were stuck in front of a sealed wall between storefronts.

Objectively thinking Yunho was there only to make sure they weren’t controlled, he couldn’t do much else protection wise. Would be so convenient if he just could teleport them out, but all they could do was rush to sneak away before that tall guy appeared. They couldn’t waste time. The other met his eyes and gave a nod with worry shaping his face.

Yunho tried rushing quietly towards one of the hallways by his side, which wasn’t easy with his huge body having to crouch while also trying to stay the farthest away from the exposing ledge as possible. Nonetheless he made it, not wasting time to stand straight and run further in, trailing through the maze of halls to make a covered path back to the other side in which his friend was waiting at.

The distance was short, but not simple as an obstacle appeared when he took a sharp turn and almost bumped into the until now missing sidekick. He cursed under his breath as he went back pressing himself against a wall close to the corner. He took a peek yet again waiting to see what direction the big guy went, but the man only continued to roam around for a while. As if he was looking for something. Again.

He turned his back and Yunho took the chance to take off towards the next hallway, expecting to circumvent him, but of course the phone in his pocket fell right at that moment. He stopped in his tracks practically as an instinct to try and save it, his shoes screeching against the floor so close from being out of a sight.

“Hey!” he heard a deep voice call out although he didn’t stop to get even more confirmation that he was now being chased. He ran at full speed not minding the noise he made anymore, trying to make distance between him and the loud footsteps that seemed to keep getting closer. Finally, he made it full circle and reached the edge again now close to his target.

He stopped where the hallways and the balcony met looking behind him for the first time. The tall man just now turned the corner with some distance between them that didn’t give him much time to reach Hongjoong and back.

“Run, go go go!” Yunho yelled at the his friend that was watching his disheveled arrival with alarmed eyes. It took the other only a small moment to register it, grab the kid and sprint forward, impressing Yunho a bit with his quick reflexes. The small girl cried loudly in his arms and he could be seen clearly from downstairs, but after how loud Yunho yelled their stealth mission had already been considered a fail anyways.

The man chasing him now already less than two meters away was ready to catch them, and Yunho didn’t really wanna wait to see whatever he was going to do with him when he did, so he lunged forward trying to push the other back enough to make an opening for himself to run as well. Unexpectedly he got grabbed and got himself pulled forward towards him.

Yunho clearly wasn’t a fighter, his long limbs more of a deterrent than a vantage in trying to get himself loose from his grasp. His opponent however had some experience and it wasn’t long till Yunho was being immobilised with his arms behind his back on the floor, the other holding him down. 

He proud himself in at least putting up what he considered enough of a fight. That is until he looked up to see Hongjoong still standing there looking torn, lowering the kid down. Yunho cursed his idiot friend for not leaving him behind when he cleared told him to run, like this he would be caught for nothing.

The small man looked ready to get involved and start off the fight all over again but the tiny girl hugged into his leg yelling and weeping then, the big guy on top of Yunho focusing on her as well. For a second the world stopped, none of them knowing how to make their next move when a voice behind them robbed all of their attentions yet again.

"What do we have here?" asked The Cardinal himself now standing a few feet away watching the ordeal. His voice was pleasing to the ear, his head tilted slightly in curiosity and eyes almost gentle beneath the mask. If everything about him didn't impose a impression of superiority, or arrogance as the two civilians perceived it as, then you could almost believe he had good intentions as he eyed the child clinging to Hongjoong's leg.

Everyone was frozen in place as if paralysed by the sudden intrusion. Even the kid stopped her cries, the villain now going towards her.

"Don't move." He told the kid's current protector that started to protest.

"What's your name?" He asked crouching in front of the little girl that promptly bursted into tears as a response.

"Don't cry." He ordered her and she stopped, easy as that. "You have to calm down and be strong now, okay?" He continued in a less authoritarian tone, cooing over the girl like a parent.

"What's your name?" the villain tried, but the girl didn't speak. 

"Answer me." Yunho could hear his impatience growing through his more commanding tone. His mind raced as he waited for the right moment, when his assailant was distracted just enough for him to move again.

"Haseul" the little girl let out, her voice a bit hoarse from crying so much.

"That's a pretty name. Is this your brother?" The villain's tone was now back to being soft at the child's forced compliance.

"No." The kid answered and the mask covering the villain's face moved as he furrowed his brows.

"Did you come here with him?" He tried a different route than just guessing their relation to one another.

"No."

"Who did you come here with?" the villain started a interrogation now, going back and forth with the little girl, trying to figure out what to do with her.

"With Mama."

"Do you know where she is?" he continued to ask softly.

"No"

"Okay." The villain let out a sigh at that. "Do you know where the toy store is downstairs? The one right by the entrance?"

"Yes"

"You're gonna take that elevator, press the button number 1, walk straight ahead to the toy store and sit down on the couch by the playpen, okay? Do you understand me?" the command back in his tone, he tried giving clear instructions that even a child could get.

"Yes."

"You'll forget you saw me and forget that this happen. I'll send your mom to find you soon, be a good girl and take a little nap while you wait. Now go." He finished and the girl went on towards the elevator, not crying anymore as the villain watched over her till she was already inside and the elevator moving.

"Now, first problem solved. What's next?" The Cardinal said turning towards them again. " I guess you were here trying to help that kid." He said slowly his indicator hitting Hongjoong chest.

"And you." Yunho thought he was now talking to him, but his eyes went past his. "Why am I seeing you right now?" He enunciated slowly again tilting his head.

"Uh…" the guy practically straddling Yunho didn't seem to have a answer ready for that so the villain moved on.

He put both his hands on either sides of Hongjoong's face, cupping his cheeks and looking into his eyes as he starts his orders for the shorter man.

"Go downstairs, stand by the other people and wait for my next order. Understood?" He always spoke in a steady slow tone, coating every word with what Yunho could feel as his power manifesting. 

While The Cardinal's power didn't affect him personally, it still reach and manifested all around him and it felt almost like what he would experience as an emotion. It left his mouth with an unpleasant feeling as if he had taken a spoonful of honey, thick and hard to swallow, a faint taste of wine made him feel light and his head felt full of cotton. His perception slowed down as if he was underwater for the few seconds the sound was resonating in the air, although he wasn’t really bound by any real weight he didn't trust himself to be sharp or precise with his moves while hearing it.

Hongjoong didn't answer immediately, his shoulders trembling slightly. He was seething with anger and Yunho imagined that at that moment he must’ve been trying his best to resist the enchantment. The people that were being controlled didn't give off any emotion, their auras a dull weak grey and Yunho could only assume that meant they were fully numb during the influence.

He had to do something fast before his friend went away, what would happen to Yunho when they realise he can't take his orders? Was his acting skill good enough to pretend he did? The fact that the big guy wasn't invisible already messed up his credibility. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of a way out of this situation.

"Answer me. Do you understand?" The villain's tone was harsher and more commanding this time, even more heavily coated with power.

It was almost pitiful seeing his friend's fingers curl up into fists as he tried his best to oppose his orders. Yunho knew how awfully the feeling of being controlled affected the other, the helplessness of the past incidents already developed in the form of a trauma in his mind. 

He felt the pressure over him give in just slightly, his opponent either tired or distracted, and that was enough for him to push his weight up,not wasting any time in trying to spring towards his friend.

It wasn't even funny how he immediately got pushed down again only being able to free one arm that he stretched out pathetically as if he could reach the other. If only he got a bit further. But he couldn't, he was too far away. Tears formed in his eyes out of frustration, feeling the helplessness himself now.

The Cardinal didn't even flinch at his sudden outburst, still focused on Hongjoong.

"Yes, I understand." Yunho whimpered at how low and weak Hongjoong's voice sounded as he answered, feeling like he just got punched in the stomach.

He came here to save Hongjoong and if only he hadn't screwed up they wouldn't be going through this. If only he could touch Hongjoong for just a second. If only his outstretched arm could reach him. If only his power wasn't bound to him, he would gladly give it to Hongjoong that would use it for so much better.

As tears overflowed and his desperation only rose, he trashed under the weight of the villain's sidekick focusing on these ifs and his own power. He could feel his power surging in his hand, something Yunho had never noticed before. It coursed through his body, running up his arm until it reached and accumulated in his fingertips, his digitals feeling hot almost burning.

If only it could go beyond himself and reach Hongjoong.

But the short man's back already started to distance himself from his blurred vision, taking his first steps away from the whole ordeal.

"Second problem solved." The Cardinal now had his attention to the teary Yunho on the floor and he could only feel embarrassed at himself being seen in such a state.

His piercing eyes held curiosity as he inspect his prisoner's face in silence.

"Now what do I do with you?" The villain mused out loud. "So many questions, so little time." He held a hand to his own cheek deep in thought, gaze still focused on his prey.

Suddenly The Cardinal fell backwards, pulled with force by the back of his shirt’s collar and not being able to regain his balance. His companion reflexively moved to help forgetting about the trapped boy beneath him. Yunho took his chance again to push him away with his own weight again, this time a pair of hands helping him by pulling their opponent as he pushed.

Free from their grasps, Yunho now ran forward taking several moments to process that it was Hongjoong that opened this breach, the other running by his side. They made their escape before the villainous duo could recover and chase after them.

✧

The next few days Yunho mused over the happenings that lead to their escape. Hongjoong felt a miracle woke him up, sure that his willpower to resist had already completely ran out by then. Yunho tried focusing on his power often trying to replicate that surge he felt.

He always thought of his own power as a passive skill. He didn't need to do anything to activate it, it was always on. Now that he knew how it felt he tried to really feel it as an entity rather than just a concept. It was like breathing or blinking, imperceptible unless you put thought into it.

It flowed through him warmly giving him the impression of what it would be like to feel your own blood circulation. He concentrated it in his hand and, without the stress and threats around him, he could feel it dissipating outwards as if heat was coming off of him.

Although he never wanted this power, he not once thought about turning it off. Now he tried to do exactly that and meditate the power to stop and flow out of his system with his mind. It worked while he kept his eyes closed, the constant invading silhouettes of colorful lights not appearing in the dark of his eyelids like before. It was short lived ending as soon as he opened his eyes.

The moments of peace would be welcome as he went through crowds or heated arguments in class if not so fleeting. He sighed, unable to escape the overwhelming amount of feelings surrounding him constantly.

As time continues to fly by, he practices it without a certain objective, just the flow of it. One day The Cardinal appears on TV and his sidekick is clearly plastered across the whole frame. It sparks an idea in his head. 

Hongjoong jumps from the couch turn to him.

"It's him! It's that invisible guy! Is he not hiding anymore? Why aren't they talking about him?" He exclaimed as he walked to Yunho's side at his desk.

Yunho was focusing his power to flow towards Hongjoong. This time he could feel a thread of energy connecting them, unlike the sloppy burst of power that was all over the place last time he tried using it on him.

"Ah!" The taller boy was about to tell him about his findings when he felt the ring in his hand break apart and fall down.

"Oh, he became invisible again." His friend commented in confusion as he bent down to pick up the remaining of his busted ring.

The ring was lowkey important to him which kinda sucked, but he was more curious about why it broke unprompted. The pieces felt powdery and fragile in his fingers and he smashed the rest without much effort.

Had his power done that? Had it gone through the ring? Perhaps this was proof that it indeed took a physical form. Could he maybe capture it?

If it was energy similar to heat he was out of luck on something permanent, but it was a start. Yunho looked at the tv still showing his opponent from last week and he turn to Hongjoong that now stared at him worried.

"Hey, do you have a ring that you can lend me?"

"That would fit on your fingers? Probably not." He answered, mock on his tone.

"No, just get me a ring that you don't like that much. I wanna try something real quick." He insisted rolling his eyes.

As expected of his fashionable roommate, Hongjoong grabbed from a drawer a transparent box full of rings separated into tiny slots and brought out a few he wasn't too fond off. 

Yunho grabbed one that looked more cheap and held it with a closed fist while trying to imagine the energy concentrating into it. A few moments passed before he let it go, not really knowing what to expect or when to stop.

"Put it on." He said while handing the ring back to the shorter boy.

"Why? What did you do?" He looked skeptical, but was already positioning the ring on his finger as he spoke.

Yunho immediately knew it worked because from the moment the other touched the ring he couldn't see his aura anymore. There was no dancing lights surrounding him, no worry or confusion or pent up stress or any other emotion filling up the air that Yunho breathed and weighted down on his shoulders. Only his own. That were ecstatic right now.

"Why are you smiling like this? You're start to creep me out a little." The older asked with caution, confused.

"Joongie, look at the tv."

"That guy again! Wha- ah, is it the ring?" Yunho nodded at him, a smile on his face. "Yunho that's amazing! Now we're safe, The Cardinal can't control us anymore!" His roommate exclaimed with a smile on his face and Yunho felt fond of the way he said ‘we’ even though Yunho already couldn’t be controlled.

As he said those words, he grabbed onto Yunho's shoulder in excitement and the ring fell with the sudden movement. A quick look confirmed it was broken, it's texture weak and crumbling without much pressure.

"I'm pretty sure that ring was pretty sturdy before you touched it. You kinda own me a new ring now." He pointed out, his excitement dwindling a bit. "But you can just do it again, right?"

"That's why I told you to get one you didn't really like. I can do it again, but I'm afraid it'll just end up in the same way. It might still take a while to perfect it, but I already have a few ideas on what to do next to improve it." Yunho said, mind racing with the possibilities of it. Now he wouldn’t have anymore risk of getting caught up in this incidents involving the villain and neither would Hongjoong. That made him feel tons lighter, even more thinking about the break he would get from his friend’s overwhelming feelings.

"That's great already." Hongjoong continued with a mischievous look. "With that we can finally stick it to that arrogant prick."

"I mean, it would be nice if we just never saw him in person again. Even if the ring was unbreakable it wouldn't protect you from getting beat up, you know." He interjected, frowning at the other eagerness to affront The Cardinal.

"Yeah, I guess so." He quiet down after that, deep in thought and Yunho again wished he could turn his power off on his own, guessing what the other was thinking by his feeling.

He wanted to protect Hongjoong, but now he worried he might be opening up a path of even more trouble.

✧

The next few days, Yunho waited. Some of his classes were soon gonna move to the lab for more practical classes and an excuse to enter the labs was exactly what he needed. Until then he could just focus on his normal life and deflect Hongjoong’s nagging.

The older one now used a few accessories Yunho had “enchanted” as he called it. Yunho didn’t particularly felt that was the right word for what he was doing, but he still couldn’t describe it better. Metal seemed to work best, so maybe it could be considered forging.

That had also given some better perspective on the items lifetime, when Hongjoong used it out of his view it lasted with no problems whereas around him everything wore off quickly. It probably had to do with actively repealing Yunho’s power which wasn’t a good sign if it was supposed to be used against the villains that seemed to have way more aggressive powers than him.

As much as his roommate wanted to be protected, he was clearly getting tired of losing his accessories to his experiments. Yet Yunho pushed him to keep using them around him, summing up some lames excuses to just have a break from feeling way too intense emotions that weren’t his.

Yunho made that much effort to live alone before for a reason. Feeling everyone else’s feelings twenty four seven was exhausting and Hongjoong in special was a constant rollercoaster of emotion. The other just always felt so intensely all the time, it didn’t give him a break. 

Usually the power holder could identify two or three types of people when it came to this. The most common were the people that lived mildly just going step by step, emotion by emotion not bothering him much. 

Then there were people that were moved by reacting, feelings constantly activated and affected by their surroundings, living bound by their own perception of others. He could tell this type easily by how often he’d feel worry and relief from them, the clear anxiety keeping him on edge, but overall they were easy to get used to and he knew how to deal with them well, showering them with validation gave him great payback. 

And then there was the type of people like Hongjoong that were just actively feeling all the time, regardless of anything else and laced with confidence in his own self. He just had a fire in him that didn’t dwell down, opinionated and vocal about everything he was involved in.

And Yunho felt that fire, he felt Hongjoong’s usual distraught at the news and his excitement while he worked on reforming clothes to his style and his huge satisfaction when his intuition was right and how inquiet he got when him or one of their friends was going through a down phase that had nothing to do with him and the boy couldn’t help. 

It was just so strong and it never stopped.

Yunho mused that the other was someone to look up to with the way he lived to the fullest even when they were just college students getting beat up by student life. A great motivator, you could just look at him and feel inspired which was great, but sometimes Yunho felt invaded. 

As if everyone’s feeling was being pushed onto him so much that he couldn’t notice his own anymore. And he knew that sooner or later that’d explode on him if he wasn’t careful. He had learned the hard way that his feelings had to be tended to, as a kid it was hard to distinguish what were his emotions and what wasn’t when he was still not self aware. 

Life is a pursuit of happiness, yet no one could feel happy all the time, right? But young Yunho had started to believe he could, if everyone around him was happy he could feel happy too even if he himself wasn’t. It wasn’t long till he grew up compressing his real feelings, pushing them away for better ones. Even if his weren’t half bad, so so was not enough when he could just feel pure joy from someone else. 

The drop when he couldn’t brighten the mood around him would affect him more than it should. Being alone felt empty and numb. It took a long depressing time and a feel heartbreaking situations to understand what was wrong and he still couldn’t handle serious situations well.

Now having Hongjoong not filling up the room with his emotional presence he could breath and take a second to just feel in peace with himself.

✧

It was still one of those waiting days that Yunho saw his suspected lifelong nemesis again. He wasn’t expecting it at all and the thought of the situation still made him feel unsafe at his own living space as one day he opened the door to their room coming back from class and just saw the gigantic silhouette going out the window. 

He might’ve thought it was an animal had the room given to them not been in the fifth floor. Looking at the direction it had come from, in Yunho’s bed laid an phone on top of his messy covers. Not any phone, his phone. The one he dropped around a week ago.

A single notification popped up as he turned on the screen, a message from an unknown number.

**12:30 pm**

**unknown**

Stay away from the cardinal or there will be consequences.

**12:45 pm**

**you**

don’t worry i don’t want anything to do with all this

  
  


**12:46 pm**

**unknown**

Good. We’ll be watching you so don’t even think about trying anything funny

The thought that they knew who he was and that now he was under surveillance was frightening, specially the fact that the guy had been there inside his room. Yunho didn’t really know how to react to that. At hindsight he should’ve told Hongjoong, it was also his room after all, however he didn’t wanna give the other even more reason to feel personally attacked by the villains.

He couldn’t get it out of his mind the rest of the day though, as the initial shock faded his own curiosity rose up. He didn’t want anything to do with it, but now that he had a contact to text, why not, he guessed.

**14:57 pm**

**you**

so you’re the invisible dude right

The typing indicator came up a few times, but after an hour Yunho wasn’t expecting an answer anymore. 

**17:33 pm**

**unknown**

I gave you a warning, seriously it won’t end well for you Yunho.

Don’t contact me again

_ Okay, not really up for talking I guess… _After that he dropped it, slightly creeped out from seeing the other calling him by name. 

He didn’t want to be involved, but he was still curious about the invisible guy’s origin, because realistically it would be too much of a coincidence for him to be his brief childhood friend. Nonetheless, the thought persisted on his mind that there could be a chance that it was the same person he knew of and it had him intrigued beyond his usual caution.

Maybe it was his guilt conscience that had his interest peaked. He didn't like to dwell on his regrets, but his initial reaction of running away from that kid years ago was something he wished he hadn't done. At least not so lastingly, after all their powers may have been different, but their overall situation wasn't so much.

If anything Yunho might’ve been the privileged one for the first time in his life, for having such easy to hide powers. Both were scared to show their true selves and be rejected for being different, but Yunho could just pretend it wasn’t his case while the other most probably could not.

Powers like theirs didn’t come with an instruction manual, even now at twenty years of age he kept finding out new aspects to it still. To him the potential now felt unlimited as he learned more and more exciting things he could do with it, to control it, but that was a perspective of his adult self. 

As a child they had no control over it, powers were like an involuntary act like blinking or breathing and the kid just didn’t know it was abnormal or ‘wrong’. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like growing up invisible, how the other must’ve struggled at being thrown into the world not even understanding his own self and already having to deal with the consequences of it.

And to top it all off, the only person that could see him shunned him away the moment they noticed he was like that. Yunho felt like trash thinking about it.

✧

Finally the lab days arrived, and Yunho had so much planned out already. At first he cursed having those chemistry classes, he was coursing a computer engineering degree and he didn’t think it was particularly useful to get the same generalised class as all other engineering courses, specially when he just wanted to write some code or explore game design. 

It did pay off now tho, giving him enough insight to know what he was looking for and what to do with it. Sneaking in with his access code later on in the day, he swiftly took up a spot in front of a microscope and rushed to take out his research material out of his backpack, not wanting to stay there not even a moment more than necessary.

Switching two pieces of the same ring under the lenses, he analysed the difference closely. Yunho had been hoping he could identify what his power did to make them break so easily, and if he was lucky signs that his power had any physical form.

And lucky indeed he was, it seemed his power made the material structure more spaced out with little invisible to the eye grainy crystals forming in between any microscopical free space they found.

He tries forcing more of his power into it and that explained why things would become porous and dissolved like sand, with this tiny shards expanding into it until they overcame the original material.

That meant he could definitely make something more sturdy with better material. He’d have to study a lot of atomic structure and boring stuff like that and it made him groan at the thought of it but he was willing for the pay off.

Suddenly the door opened with a loud thud, interrupting his thoughts and almost giving him a heart attack.

“Hey, found anything useful?” The fashion major said making his way to Yunho without much discretion.

“Ah… you know, it’s rude to come in without knocking” Yunho ignored his question still grasping his chest and trying to recover from the jumpscare. His roommate laughed at the exaggerated reaction, stopping to sit down next to him. “I understand how this works better now, so soon I’ll make something durable and stop breaking your accessories.”

“That’s great, I was running out already. Care to explain what am I looking at?” Hongjoong asked a bit sarcastically as he leaned into his space to look at the microscope himself.

“Do you see those little clear dots? It’s probably my power, it grows till it takes too much space and makes the ring break.” The taller said towering over the other’s back to look too.

“I see” Hongjoong hummed. He sat back and watched Yunho gather the things he brought over back into his backpack. “So, I was thinking…”

By the other’s aura Yunho already knew whatever it was, it was trouble. The yellow hesitance swayed in his vision with sprinkles of orange and red fierce tones, fitting of Hongjoong’s ever so warm visual presence.

“I was thinking, if you can make it last, couldn’t you make something to stop The Cardinal as well? Maybe sprinkle some of those crystals on handcuffs or something? I know you said it was hard to approach him, but that was when I couldn’t see the other guy. And I’m not thaaat defenceless I’m sure I can put up a good fight if I can see my opponent.” Hongjoong went on, continuing to list reasons to convince Yunho that they could win with his power.

The younger was appalled at Hongjoong eagerness to take on both of the villains like this, but he’d be lying if he said that his curiosity wasn’t peaked at making a device that could stop The Cardinal’s power. 

With his power taking physical form it was indeed possible, even if temporary. If he could make a device that rendered the other powerless for just a while…

Developing something like that presented itself as a puzzle way too stimulating for Yunho’s mind, already scheming what would it take to make it for real, what approach he should take that would be the most effective and he had to grip the table and stop himself for a moment before he fell into that rabbit hole.

“I just hate it, even if I get to be immune to his power I don’t think I can stand by as everyone else is dragged into it. Yunho, please you’ve got to help me. I understand the risk I’d be taking, I’m not dumb. Just give me something to fight with and I swear I won’t bother you about it again.” Hongjoong pleaded, and Yunho hated the feeling overwhelming him, pure, desperate and selfless.

“I think this will be a mistake, but if my best friend asks me like this how can I say no.” Yunho answered with a sigh giving in and Hongjoong smiled widely practically bouncing off his seat to hug the younger. 

“_ But _ ,” Yunho continued holding up a finger before the other got too excited. ”I really don’t want anything to do with this past this part. You can go play batman, but I refuse to be your Robin, okay? Consider me James, I’ll _ try _and see if I can give you some equipment that works against them. After that you’re on your own, I refuse to go get my butt kicked with you.”

“And who said I’m getting my butt kicked?” Hongjoong retorted with a pout, but the corner of his mouth couldn’t contain his lasting smile. “I get it you don’t want to fight, that’s your choice and I respect that. You’ve already been doing more than enough by protecting me all this time with your powers, I’m thankful really.”

Yunho couldn’t help but smile too at the other words.

✧

Turns out building little prototypes for Hongjoong was way more fun than Yunho had predicted. The younger already had a natural hand with technology and his creativity combined with years of reading comic books filled his head with ideas not only of ways to apply his own power, but of plain weapons to help the other fight and capture the villain.

If The Cardinal was a supervillain then Hongjoong would have to be his antagonising superhero, and so that inspired the fashion major to work on an uniform to make himself easily recognisable, but also cover his identity. 

Much of their enemy’s tactic fell on swaying the public’s mentality and the last thing Hongjoong wanted was to be publicly recognised by his little internet following. Standing up to the other was sure to earn him a spotlight over all types of media and he hoped it would work out in his favor, raise the moral of those that had been controlled before.

That being said his uniform wasn’t flashy or anything of the sort, just a very stylistic and accessorised black suit, followed by a mask and hat covering the lower half of his face and shadowing his eyes.

In a week he had it done, Yunho finishing some of his projects soon after, thanking the god’s for the college’s facilities offering so much for his course. It was truly amazing what you could do with a 3d printer plus some chips and cables.

Hongjoong was dressed up in his attire, showing off his designer skill to his friend in their room when Yunho presented him with his first set of gear.

“So I made these three items so far, they are still prototypes and need testing, but are ready to use already.” Yunho started dropping the tech on the table.”I’m making something more permanent to deal with their powers for good, but that might take a long time still.”

“Okay, walk me through it.” The new hero asked.

“So those earphones, I made them embedded with my power. I made them hollow inside so that the piece of rubber I added inside has space to expand well before it becomes too much. So it’s not like it’s unbreakable or anything, but they do have a trick to them to help you out in that case.” The technician started explaining, Hongjoong looking slightly lost, but understanding for the most part humming along. 

“They are completely noise cancelling, all you hear will actually be filtered by a mic, that way if the duration runs out the mic breaks as well and you’ll hear nothing. It’ll be a pain, but it should be enough for you to make a escape without hearing The Cardinal’s voice.” He continued.

“Ah I see, you thought it out so thoroughly, I’m impressed.” Hongjoong stroke the other’s ego seeing how excited he looked talking about his creation, making him bashful to the the point of his ear reddening.

“Yeah, I mean, nothing I make can last forever so we’ve got to consider what to do when it breaks. I made this one rather easy to do maintenance with refills for the inside though so I would rather you didn’t let it get to that point. Also if you press the button here on the side it calls me. You know, for emergencies only.” He finished describing his most fond masterpiece.

“Got it” The older nodded. ”Next.”

“Okay, those gloves then. Easy to explain, they are basically a weak taser. Mainly to take care of the big guy, they give a nice stun for you to get past him. Just use it as a last case scenario trick up your sleeve since they don’t have much charge. I’m working on something better and long ranged, but maybe in the meantime you should actually go out and buy a taser.” Yunho explained, and Hongjoong hummed in response. 

The older had mentioned not wanting to use any heavy weapons, taking the ethics of the heroic role seriously, and so Yunho was trying to accommodate his wishes, although it was hard to escalate the effectiveness without also escalating the pain.

“The last one is just a charm for you to put on in a bracelet or necklace to use in daily life. It’s easy to open and refill so you can use it around me as well.” Yunho explained handing him a little tiny star. 

Hongjoong swirled the tiny sparkly item on the tip of his finger analysing it from every angle.

“It’s so pretty.” He mumbled, a soft smile falling on Yunho’s face. “You know, sometime you need to really explain to me why I should use it around you. We never talked about your power since we first met.” The smile in his face faded as fast as it came. “I just don’t want to make it harder for you, if you need me to use this there must be a reason, right?”

Yunho sighted at that, knowing the time to open up would come. He just never knew how to talk about serious things like that, his power specially.

“I just see and feel things in a different way and it can be overwhelming sometimes.” He answered not really wanting to get deeper into it.

“You know you can talk to me about it if you need to. I’ll try to understand whatever it is.” Hongjoong said softly leaving the tiny star on the desk, his emotions now noticeable again. The soft orange hue of his compassion warming Yunho up and breaking through his walls, just a little bit.

They had been rooming together for a while now, he might as well open up. He only hoped the other didn’t think he was praying onto his feelings, he was sure this should be a major privacy invasion. Not that he could do much about that.

“Have you ever heard of empaths?” He started off dreading it already.

“Like people that can understand other people’s feelings well?” The older turned back to him while taking the outer layer of his suit to put it away.

“Not quite, it’s not just understanding. I- I can feel it myself, the emotions of other people. In a very different way than normal people would feel them.” Yunho was hesitant to continue explaining, but Hongjoong waited patiently for it. 

“With every sense I can feel it, I see auras and I feel it in the temperature, even in the smell in the air and in the taste on my tongue and sometimes I can even hear a ringing in my ear when it’s too strong. It’s tiring and invasive and I can’t really turn it off. That’s why it gives me a break if you use it.” 

He ended spilling his secrets way too easily, glad to get it off his chest, barely stopping himself before saying how Hongjoong’s emotional was specially exhausting.

Hongjoong stretched a hand to touch his shoulder, looking at him with a soft expression in his face as he said his own thoughts. 

“I see, that explains a few things. Yunho, I know it must be hard for you to open up about it, but I just want to let you know you can trust me. I won’t judge, I just want to help. So next time I hope you feel comfortable to tell me anything you’re struggling with earlier.”

Yunho hummed in response, a pout on his lips to hold back the teary sensation overcoming his face. The other seeming satisfied with his own speech and went away to change the rest of his clothes.

Hongjoong sometimes felt like a father figure to Yunho, already knowing his troubles before he even said anything, but waiting patiently for him to come to him for advice instead of intervening by himself. 

And Yunho was glad for it, to have someone solid in his life that he could always rely on and fall back onto when he needed help or it all became too much, that didn’t push him too hard or demanded more than he could give. 

He just wasn’t used to being vulnerable like that with someone else and it would take more than just a few months to reach a point where he would be comfortable venting out his inner struggles, specially after internalising it for so long.

  
  


✧

  
  


The first time Hongjoong actually went out to fight the villain came sooner than he expected and Yunho was a ball of nerves, yet he didn’t back down on his decision to not get caught up in it.

It was still early into the night as they saw the news, The Cardinal shouting into a megaphone from a varanda of a low building, stopping a whole avenue with just his voice. 

His attacks seemed to follow a pattern now of growing in scale, installing fear in the citizens heart, continuing to record it through the wide web. It supplied them with a previous test of their equipment when he started a ig live a few days back, so now they were all set knowing the earphones worked.

He was getting greedy and his roommate that had been itching to just go there and punch him in the face got ready in record time, jumping through the window into the fire escape to not attract any attention to his suspicious outfit. 

Since Yunho forged those little gadgets to help him out and he finished his own uniform, Hongjoong had been out “patrolling” as a “superhero” a few time. Yunho found it cringy to just think about it, but the other had a point that he needed to practice, both using the gadgets and porting himself like a vigilante, as well as fighting and being inconspicuous.

He managed to even catch a few petty thieves and drunk harassers on the street to his best friend surprise. It wasn’t that Yunho doubted Hongjoong, but he didn’t expect the other to own up to this persona so well. 

In theory his part was to just be mindful of his phone in case Hongjoong fucked up too bad, otherwise he was supposed to be free of responsibility. That didn’t make him any less nervous and he knew he wouldn’t be able to calm down on his own, neither focus on anything else so he just made sure his phone was ringing as loud as it possibly could and took a couple of pills to sooth his anxiety and maybe rest his eyes a little bit. 

He just couldn’t concentrate enough to do anything else after all. Not his smartest idea, he gets that, but they talked beforehand about not overdoing it too much on the first time and being cautious, so he just choose to trust that Hongjoong would have an ounce of common sense and not need him to intervene so early on.

Not even fifteen minutes later tho his phone rang, startling him and he groaned as he held it up, already mourning the fact that he would have to leave his comfy covers and go out in the cold weather.

The message on the screen wasn’t what he was first expecting though.

**09:37 pm**

**unknown**

Yunho I’m serious don’t get involved in this or you’ll regret it.

  
  


**09:37 pm**

**you**

im not involved

im literally in bed rn playing hearthstone on my phone

i could not be less involved even if i tried

  
  


**09:38 pm**

**unknown**

I’m not an idiot there’s no way this is not your friend right there

  
  


**09:38 pm**

**you**

it’s not him

i can testify we both here tucked in bed on our phones like good boys seriously

  
  


“Oh, really?” a deep voice sounded from his window and the frightened high pitched screech that came out of Yunho didn’t sound neither human nor manly as he almost feel out of bed jumping from surprise, his heart beating so fast he was sure it’d stop at any moments.

“You can’t lie to me, Yunho.” The invisible boy commented as he walked to the end of Yunho’s bed to face him.

“I wasn’t lying, I’m really not involved.“ Yunho said with a pout, bummed at both being caught in his lie and getting scared like that. He should be more seriously frightened, but for some reason he didn’t feel much more than just a few butterfly in his stomach, maybe the meds.

“What about your friend?” The other asked with an eyebrow raised, looking down on him.

“Ask him yourself, how am I supposed to know?” he looked away still pouting. The danger of the situation still not sinking in, although there was a feeling of vulnerability in him sitting up in his bed covered with his comforter up to his waist now.

The man in front of him let out a sight. He hesitated a second before making a move to seat there at the end of the bed. Yunho quickly moved his feet making space for him and suddenly the other didn’t look so intimidating now at his eye level, moonlight hitting his face in just the right angle to make Yunho feel some type of way even with the dark mask over his mouth. His eyes held a soft but distressed emotion that he couldn’t pinpoint.

“Look, your power… It may help you not be controlled or to see me, but that’s not enough. If you get in his way you _ will _lose. I…” he started in a coaxing tone that Yunho wouldn’t expect someone that was supposed to be his enemy to talk in, but soon hesitated and looked away. “We don’t want any conflict.” he finished quietly.

“I’m sorry” the taller boy answered slowly, surprising even himself. Maybe it was the fact that he was embarrassingly sleepy for that early in the night, his brain hazily trying to catch up with the situation still, or maybe it was the gentle attitude and how pained the other looked at the prospect of Yunho pushing forward that made the words spill mindlessly from his lips.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the answer the other was expecting he noted as he saw him sigh again and get up.

“Wait” he called out as an impulse. The man looked back at him while he could only dumbly stare trying to form a coherent thought. “Have we met before?”

The stranger looked away for a moment then back at him mumbling a no before going through the window off into the night. Yunho was left to silently collect his thought and chastise himself for the dumb question. 

For a second, he felt like he could recognise the boy from his memories. The invisible presence in his high school that sparked into his view once in a blue moon, but at this point he couldn’t say for sure if the boy in his memory and the man that had just left were really similar or if it was just him projecting one onto the other in an attempt to make sense of either of them.

It later felt like a wasted opportunity to let him walk away like that without asking anything useful. His brain was now filled with questions, most of them more about the man himself than the conflicting situation they currently found themselves in. His reluctance to fight in addition to the care his few words held intrigued him, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t even a bit attracted to the intruder in his sleepy stupor. 

He would like to at least believe it to be a simple momentous acknowledgment of the other’s physical attributes rather than him being so naive that he’d catch a serious infatuation for any handsome caring stranger. 

Sometimes you look at the tv and find the bad guy hot and that was just that, he told himself pushing the thought away.

Looking back at his phone a few texts from Hongjoong popped up at the screen informing of his success and that he was coming home soon. The newbie hero’s texts were filled with hurried details about how he managed to scare the villain away, bravados of how he’d catch him next time and praise for Yunho’s first set of gadgets.

Yunho only quickly scanned through them adding a curt answer at the end before laying back again to try and clear his thought filled head before the other arrived. He decided to keep his own villain encounter to himself.


	3. My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You gotta give me something, if you really wanna protect him.” Seonghwa said in a low voice, now dropping the act and just seeming tired.
> 
> “The shorter guy, I can give you his name.” Mingi answered finally after thinking for a moment, his tone low and serious. “The other one is mine, don’t touch him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with how this one came out, maybe it's a bit overdramatic, but this is the best I could come up with after editing it for a couple of weeks so here you go. Chapters might be shorter from here on out because of the change in povs that will keep coming, but I'll try to update more often now that I'm catching a break from college.

The last person Mingi expected to see while out "working" with Seonghwa was Jeong Yunho.

He kept telling himself that he was mistaken while running after him at the mall. 

He continued to tell himself it had to be someone else, even as he held the dropped phone in his hand and tried typing the other’s birthday to unlock it. It worked, a quick look at all the logged in accounts with his name proving his identity. 

He still had a hard time believing that it really was his old classmate, even as he went into the boy’s room to return the phone and saw the little mementos on the shelf. 

Amongst them stood a tiny trophy with their old high school name engraved and fondness seeped through Mingi at the value the memory had to hold for the other to bring the little statuette all the way to his college dorm.

But even trying his best to vehemently deny it to himself, to forget it and ignore it, from the first second he laid eyes on him Mingi had already recognised Yunho looking back at him, frozen with wide eyes like a deer in the headlights right before bolting. 

He knew immediately it was him even with his hair no longer a soft brown and the lower half of his face covered up by a mask. 

The fact that his power was no longer working when holding him down was just another nail in the coffin. One of many lights that went on in his head in the few minutes he was around the other.

Because he couldn’t, not in a million years, not recognise his old school lifelong crush since kindergarten. Maybe a tad obsessive, but to his credit he never expected to ever see him again after leaving high school, so he had always allowed himself to enjoy his infatuation to the fullest expecting it to be just memories to be fond of later.

And he did have many memories revolving around the boy, however he wouldn’t be surprised if the other did not even know he existed anymore. 

Although he always had it bad, writing Yunho’s name surrounded by hearts in his notebook all class long type of bad, he didn’t approach Yunho more than a few unintentional times before. 

But you couldn’t blame him neither for liking Yunho, _ a lot _, nor for not interacting with him at all. 

Because Yunho in a few hours through the course of a week gave him more attention than any one else his age did for the next decade. It was quite impossible for a kid that young, still barely understanding he was invisible and in a constant state of being ignored, to not imprint into the first person that noticed him. 

And even as Yunho freaked out and turned away from him he didn’t hold it against his temporary best friend. Because it wasn’t Yunho’s fault that only him saw Mingi, it was Mingi’s fault that no one else did. He didn’t get why no one did yet at that age, but he understood that much.

So he kept his distance from then on, telling himself it would be bad of him to bother the other. The next year they were in separate classes and for the next couple of his young kid years he went back to sitting alone and getting the teachers in trouble for not finding him, scolding himself whenever he felt like going after Yunho’s fleeting friendship. 

For a crybaby like him he was pretty proud of himself for managing to stay away.

The older they got he expected to one day just not see Yunho there anymore, but alas they were in a small town. They always moved on to the same school, had quite a few classes together, but it soon seemed Yunho had completely forgot him. 

Mingi figured that much when they would sometimes bump into each other in the hallways and the other just seemed completely oblivious, both of who he was and the fact that he was the only one seeing him. 

As far as Yunho was concerned he was helping any random kid up from the floor or trying to get past through one more person in the crowd, nothing special about it.

And that summed up most of all their interactions up till that moment. Bumping around school, picking up a dropped pencil, stopping him from grabbing an apple from someone else’s tray at lunch.

Just simple things like that, that Yunho probably never took notice of. Mingi was always invisible to him even though he ironically was the only person that he could actually see him.

Logically, he should’ve gotten over his lovestruck mentality at some point after noticing that, specially since he didn’t want to repeat that traumatic first episode. 

He had no plans to ever interact with Yunho again, nonetheless he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. 

He knew his class schedules, enjoying the classes they had together. He knew the sports he participated on and the friends he hang around with, where they would all go hang out after school and the video games he was always playing and just an overwhelming amount of gossip he would overhear, just cataloging it in his brain. 

He once got into a discord server to play some games with their class when he heard they were gonna play one of Yunho’s favorites, but quickly lost his nerve, knowing that if they escalated to meeting in person he still didn’t control his power enough. 

He was fine just observing, just seeing the other having a good time was enough to warm his heart. God forbid he tried to get himself involved and ruined it for him.

His crush was borderline stalkerish, but he tried his best to keep himself in check, to be conscious of boundaries, something which he never had much sense for considering his lack of social experience up till that point. 

He kept that in mind, but it was never really a problem because in the end Yunho was the only person in the world that was a challenge for him to actually stalk if he wanted to.

Most people around he got to know their true colors soon enough as they often wouldn’t hide it away from him. Since to be fair they usually didn’t know he was there to see their mask fall to begin with.

But Yunho was a little box of surprises keeping his interest on him, kind and funny and making Mingi let out lovestruck sighs all day, his chest swelling with affection at the mere thought of the guy.

Maybe it was because he was lonely. He didn’t gather any real friendships during all those years, not until he finally started getting help with his problematic power and got exposed to others like him. Even then, when he first had a glimpse of what being normal was, it still didn’t feel like enough as he had to wake up and go to school alone every boring day. 

It hurt seeing everyone around in groups like that fooling around and laughing at each other’s banter loudly. So maybe daydreaming about someone that knew he was there and that had even enjoyed his company once upon a time was a way of coping with it.

And he knew it was silly, but to his defence he didn’t plan on ever seeing Yunho again once they graduated. His infatuation was merely a good feeling that he just intended to tuck away and only remember it as a far away memory that shined through darker times, times he never wanted to properly come back to dissect nor properly deal with. 

He embraced it like a pastime, a phase that every teenager went through, maybe not healthy, but who would’ve thought they would meet again like this.

Now he needed to push his old perception of the other away and hide his identity at all costs. He didn’t want to be seen as the bad guy, not by him.

☾

“Where were you?”

Mingi almost jumped out of his skin at the voice in the darkness. With the sound of a click an old lamp lighted up, the yellowish glow barely enough to light up Seonghwa’s figure sitting in an antique armchair besides it. The villain sat there turned directly towards the window Mingi had just sneak in through, eyeing the younger with unimpressed eyes.

“Nowhere, just taking care of some unfinished business.” He couldn’t for the life of him think up of an actual excuse.

“In the middle of the fight? Pray tell what type of business was so important that you left me alone at the first real opposition we’ve ever got?” The way that Seonghwa enunciated his words, without any hint of anger, but with a glint of curiosity as if he was just playing catching up with an old friend made Mingi feel like he was in the position of a child about to be scolded by his parents, telling him it would be okay if he just told the truth, but with contradicting undertones. 

That just made thinking of an excuse even harder. “Hm…”

“Actually now that I’m thinking about it, we still haven’t talked about the other day. You know that one where both of our powers failed to match against two harmless civilians?” Seonghwa continued with his lighthearted tone, feigning the sudden remembrance as if he hadn’t been sitting there planning his words for god knows how long till Mingi arrived. “I wonder if those two guys had any relation to the guy that appeared today?”

“Maybe. I mean he wasn’t affected by you, so could be the guy that tricked you that time. You know that short guy, must have a power or something.” he answered fidgeting.

“I was thinking so too, after all my power doesn’t work well on other powerful people. That doesn’t quiet explain why you were visible, Mingi-ah.” Seonghwa said with a final soft voice. “I know you’ve been avoiding me, it’s obvious you’re hiding something. The guy you had pinned down was the one that was radiating power I’m sure you felt it too.”

Mingi sat down against the window pane knowing there was no escape.

“Are you perhaps trying to protect him from me? Is it someone you know?” The villain mused out loud, but was only met with silence. “Mingi, we’ve been together for a while now. You know me, I understand I’m not completely in the right here. I’m even impressed someone stepped up against me like that, with no powers and all. I plan to entertain his efforts, really. I mean no real harm, if anything it’s amusing.”

Mingi knew Seonghwa for quite a long time, both following Eden’s teachings together for years then. Both their case files ending piled up on their now employer’s desk years ago as problem children, when in truth the man would handpick and teach powerful children how to control their gifts.

That brought them together and that sprouted their current situation, living together on a lavish old house and with a mission to accomplish, each of the two with their own approach to it, Seonghwa seeming to be way more aggressive.

But indeed the older was a very reasonable man. Their objective really had nothing to do with the villain’s preachings, preachings that Seonghwa himself did not care that much to uphold himself. 

Those were merely a big show to avert everyone’s eyes from their real goal and so they had no reason to see their new enemy as real opposition. As far as distractions go a cool heroic fight was even better.

That being said they still could pose a threat, most of their plans were based on the fact that Mingi was invisible which for them he was not at all anymore. 

The minute Seonghwa saw the potential in them to get in their way he would not hold back and while Yunho’s power could mentally protect him it did nothing of real physical value in that sense. 

He wasn’t willing to risk it no matter how much he trusted his old friend.

“You gotta give me something, if you really wanna protect him.” Seonghwa said in a low voice, now dropping the act and just seeming tired.

“The shorter guy, I can give you his name.” Mingi answered finally after thinking for a moment, his tone low and serious. “The other one is mine, don’t touch him.”

The tall one could look pretty intimidating when he wanted to be, exerting this confidence as he spoke, an empty threat hanging unsaid. 

Not that it affected Seonghwa in any way, but it was enough to send the message.

The older leaned back loosening up onto his armchair with a defeated sight. "We could help him about his power, you know."

"I doubt he would want help from us." Mingi replied flatly, staring back at him coldly.

Seonghwa huffed rolling his eyes before closing them and resting his head back. "I got it, as long as it's absolutely necessary I'll leave your friend alone." He said finally sounding tired, almost pained. "Go and bring me an ice pack at least, that shorty hits hard and I feel a bump forming already."

At that Mingi dropped the temperament and scrambled hurriedly towards the kitchen. The other was right, it was the least he could do, they were partners and he was missing when he should have been there to help after all.

Guilt panged at his heartstrings, however making himself useful and nursing Seonghwa’s injuries soothed him, seeing for himself that it wasn't that serious and he could be of help.

☾ ⇀ ✩

The whole ‘righteous villain punishing the evil in society’ was merely an act of self-indulgence. Seonghwa was self aware enough to know that, to know that there was no real noble purpose behind it. They just needed a distraction and he wasn’t the first one with super powers to terrorize the city. 

There was already a thief around who had seemed to have won the public with his charity-driven purpose. This unknown boy, a shorty with silver hair and a loudmouth, had been there for a long while already, his name famous online with all the speculation of how he did the flashy stunts he was known for. 

Everybody with a phone saw the posts about how his heists always ended up traced to unbelievable amounts of money suddenly in the hands of the needy and that made for an impasse on the government’s part to bring out the big guns against him, showing the new villains exactly how to thread that thin line themselves.

And so Seonghwa took the opportunity to spin a similar narrative. 

In all honesty though, if Seonghwa put any real thought into his personal sense of justice he knew he was undeniably in the wrong, he just wanted a chance to really use his powers to its full potential. 

His power was like a muscle that needed to be stretched and he for the first time had the space to do just that for real. 

Although it may seem strange, this whole situation where he could snap out orders and punishments and have it be perceived as a public service now felt empowering, almost cathartic, in contrast to all the times before where he had uncontrollably let his tongue loose in fits of rage, yelled out things he deeply regretted and was met, rightfully, with fear and disgust.

He was allowing himself the pleasure of lashing out for the first time in his life, a freeing high he could easily get lost into. Even so he was not foolish enough to forget his priorities nor let the bad side of him take over. 

He didn’t felt any particular sympathy for the criminals he went after, having them confess all their sins before him made it easy to free his conscience of any guilt.

All those other innocent people that continued to fall prey to his power however were victims caught in the crossfire and the horrified expression in their wide eyes when they saw him served as a reminder that nothing good could ever come out of his abilities.

Growing up with that power was… terrifying to say the least. Having the power to play God as a child was overwhelming. A kid’s need for rules and guidance to be enforced beyond their own selfish wishes was apparent when everyone would become lifeless puppets at his command. 

The way he used to so easily affect the world around him could only be described as emptying or desolating as no one could talk to him without temporary losing their free will. 

Not only he had no control of when his powers were activated, he also had to learn from an early age to choose his words carefully as if each and everyone of them were weapons.

The effects of his power dragged his mental state to a downwards spiral as he grew up, at some point it became too much and he was exhausted of tiptoeing around it. He just stopped trying talking, stopped trying to interact and gave in to his own self deprecating urges to isolate himself. 

He was declared mute, despite nothing being wrong with his vocal chords, and that went on for a few years until his case was picked up by Eden.

Eden was the one that took him in when he was lost, shaping his life to the moment it was now and he could never regret anything he did in his name, not bothered to be a supervillain if it helped him out. 

Not that his old teacher was too happy with his methods, but as long as they were bringing results to their cause it was enough.

✩

It didn’t take long for Seonghwa to go check out his new prey. Kim Hongjoong was the name of the name of the man that had been showing up to fight him lately. 

It had already been a few encounters and the other was each time getting bolder, more comfortable with dropping the former defensive act and just coming at him full force. 

He could see Mingi, yet he kept ignoring the invisible man and coming for Seonghwa directly and it was almost endearing to see him rushing in every time to keep the villain company while he played with his powers and stalled the media’s attention. 

Not that keeping him company was Hongjoong’s intention, but Seonghwa would rather look at it this way, appreciating the change in routine. He prayed the other would keep obnoxiously focusing on him and not make things actually difficult.

He entered an old music store, the vintage atmosphere greeting him warmly as the boy by the counter looked up from the scribbles in his notebook with surprised eyes. The place was completely empty as Seonghwa made his way to his target, fishing out a piece of paper from his coat’s pocket as he moved.

“May I help you?” The attendant asked, his mouth slightly ajar.

“Yes, if you could please help me find these?” He said handing the paper, a short list of titles there.

“Ah sure, follow me.” The other answered hurriedly leaving his spot and guiding him deeper into the store.

So this was Hongjoong, he thought analysing the shorter boy walking in front of him. Fashionable clothes, striking hair and an earful of piercings, pretty much what he had expected. The older felt oddly satisfied at the bruise mark on his shoulder peeking out from the border of his collar, remembering exactly which one of his hits that had caused that.

“Most of those are around this section, you have good taste.” The other said absentmindedly as he picked up a little stool to stand on. Seonghwa could probably reach the highest shelf by himself with little effort, but let the other do his job without interfering.

“Do you go to college around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. I’m pretty sure I’d remember a face like yours.” He said, passing down the items as he found them.

It felt odd meeting the other without a mask but he hadn’t thought much of it, the last comment catching him unexpected.

“I guess you could say I’m new, I transferred this semester.” He answered, entertaining the small talk.

The simplicity of the situation was an odd change of pace, seeing the other peacefully working instead of the usual worked up Hongjoong made him almost miss it. Almost, as he didn’t really fancy constantly dodging punches or electric zaps.

“I see, what do you study?” He hummed along, stepping down the stool to lead them back to the front, towards the register.

“Third year of medicine already.” Seonghwa answer, losing interest as their encounter was about to end.

“A doctor then? What type do you want to be?” He asked as he swiped the albums through the barcode reader.

“A neurologist, although i have some time to rethink that still.” Seonghwa mumbled not found of the question, still questioning it himself.

“Ah smart, handsome and good taste in music, you have it all don’t you. Your total is...” Hongjoong continued on to take his payment and explain they refund policy, but his initial comment peaked Seonghwa interest back again.

The hero handed him the cd pile with the paper he had first received on top, a new line written on it. A phone number. The villain didn’t miss the confident wink Hongjoong shot him nor his mischievous smile, a light rosy tone to his cheeks contradicting his cool demeanor.

There it was, the trademark fire he feels from the other when they fight. Toned down by a hundred and way more gentle, but still equally recognisable in his eyes almost daring him.

“Call me if you need anything, I can teach you where all the good parties are at.” Hongjoong said as he waved a goodbye to the parting man.

Seonghwa didn’t particularly plan to continue seeing Hongjoong outside of their playdates, as the villain had so fondly named their recurring conflicts, but he thought of giving the hero the time of day seeing how cute he looked trying to appeal to him.


	4. Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t like Hongjoong had fallen yet. But he saw the cliff before him as he looked at the other’s eyes, the potential for the deep drop it lead to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter done for so long and no matter how much I edited I still wasn't happy with it, but I guess this is the best it's gonna be and then next chapter seems to be coming out better, for me at least. You know sometimes I get frustrated with writing, but reading comments really makes me so happy and motivated. Like even if it's just a word like 'kudos' or anything I'll just come back and re read and feel better so thanks to anyone that makes an effort to comment on mine or anyone's work really.

Hongjoong clawed desperately at The Cardinal’s hands wrapped around his throat, applying enough pressure to leave bruises and have him breathless, his feet barely touching the floor anymore. 

The humid stone wall behind him was cold and uncomfortable against his back, and the little air he tried sucking in was being swiftly stolen by the villain’s own breaths who had his face so close to his, expression dark and hungry like a cat that finally caught the bird.

“Listen here,” His enemy started, moving his mouth close to the hero’s ears, his lips brushing slightly against his temple slowly and unhurriedly, contrasting against the other desperation.

“It’s cute how you think you can stop me, I’m touched at the effort really.” he continued enunciating his words in a husky whisper and pausing to give a taunting lick to the blood flowing out of a cut above Hongjoong’s brow.

“But don’t start getting ahead of yourself. I don’t have time to entertain you every single time, baby boy. Be good and don’t push on my nerves anymore than you did today or I’ll have to seriously punish you. You don’t wanna see me getting mad.”

The hero no longer fought back, no more strength to resist against the villain as the other didn’t let up, not even for a second.

“Do you understand?” He asked slowly, expecting any sign from Hongjoong to accept and promptly submit in his grip.

He never felt so helpless, head light and sight blurred with tears that he refused to let fall. He could only feel his enemy’s warmth, voice caressing his ears and sending puffs of breath against his cheek and it almost didn’t feel like he was there himself, completely lost to the adrenaline and lack of oxygen. 

“Hey!” A deep voice rang from the end of the small alleyway, distracting The Cardinal. The hand around his neck loosened slightly, but even so the hero ashamedly couldn’t make a move against it, regardless of the chance of escape presenting itself.

“All done?” The villain called out, slightly distancing himself from him and finally at the response of the far away figure he released his grasp.

Hongjoong fell to his knees on the ground unceremoniously coughing erratically, the air once again filling his lungs painfully, while his opponent left without a second look directed at him. 

He never felt more miserable, not even being worthy of a real defeat, just being left there on the street like stray trash. 

The hero laid there for a few minutes recovering, mind numb, before picking himself up and limping back into somewhere safer to call Yunho for help. For Yunho to_ carry him _ home _ , _how pathetic was that, he thought. 

Up until then he had never honestly wondered about what a ‘real defeat’ meant against a supervillain. For him as the hero it meant either shutting his power down or bringing him to the authorities, but for the villain what was he expecting to be done to him? Kill him? Should he be_ thankful _for his mercy? Hongjoong thought he would rather be dead than that.

He had been exchanging kicks and punches with the villain for a while now, a few weeks into his new hero role. He thought he was being cautious enough, every time managing to avoid the big guy altogether and going directly to the big boss, finding ways to make him retreat while Yunho didn’t provide him with the inhibitor he had in the making.

With every success his confidence grew. The Cardinal fought a good fight, but his physical skills weren’t so high above his own and this time he thought maybe he didn’t need to wait, he could capture him right then.

And of course Hongjoong was wrong, oh so very wrong, because he felt like he’d wake the next morning with his whole body covered in colorful marks.The other was never serious about fighting against him before, that much was clear. He wasn’t gonna be able to win by himself, not the way he was then. 

☀

Hongjoong had done the whole intensive clubbing, partying and hook ups on his first year and he still accompanied Yunho often, it was fun to destress after weeks working on a project or cramming for finals and at first he was the one that pulled the younger into it, the other still new to the city. 

But it was getting old and as much as he enjoyed his roommate’s platonic cuddles that too was not enough lately. That phase he had of being self-sufficient and indifferent to being single was passing. 

So Hongjoong was open for something serious, he decided. Willing to catch feelings, as much as that seemed like a bad idea. That was before he became a hero, but this and that had nothing to do with each other. It didn’t cross his mind that the whole hero thing would affect his personal life at all, just a background thought when his real life was his priority.

Not long after he made that silent decision for himself, Seonghwa appeared. 

And Hongjoong didn’t quite believe in love at first sign, he really didn’t.

The moment that boy walked through the door though, hair slightly messed up by the wind and a silk blazer hanging from his shoulders like a cape, Hongjoong’s heart fluttered at the sight. As he read the list of his own favourite artists the other handed him it only got him more interested. 

Their encounter was short so he tried to act fast, flirting wasn’t his forté when he wasn’t drunk, but he was confident enough to pull off his little trademark devious look and wink at him. 

He was feeling proud of himself for his strategy of giving out his number and making the other come to him, not wanting to seem desperate or anything. 

However as time continue to pass he regretted it, thinking that maybe he should’ve asked the other out then and there instead of trying to play hard to get, which wasn’t even his intention.

Three days had passed and nothing, Hongjoong wasn’t sure what was the normal waiting time for that kind of stuff but by then he imagined the cute guy must already have forgotten he even tried. Probably threw the paper away as soon as he was out of sight. Maybe he had someone already, he should’ve asked that.

He didn’t enjoy all that anxiety so he didn’t let himself waste more time, he was ready to just push forward and forget about it like it never happened.

And he did it easily because The Cardinal proceeded to give him, and his pride, such a beating that same night that he couldn’t think of anything the next few days.

So as he pestered Yunho to think on some new weapon, one that really hurt this time, or to work harder on his ‘endgame’ project, Hongjoong was caught by surprise at the strange number texting him.

The other introduced himself, throwing the hero off for a second until it dawned on him who he was, an invitation to a concert he conveniently had a spare ticket to following the brief conversation that started between them.

The day of their date, Hongjoong woke up early despite being the his day off to ready himself. It wasn’t too cold even though they were long into the fall already. Yet there he was, forced to put on a turtleneck, his neck still a litany of green and yellow marks from a few days earlier. 

The hero spent quite a few minutes staring at them at the mirror, just letting the defeat stir itself in his mind again before he snapped out of it with a sight. He seemed to get caught up in those moments a lot since the day they were pressed into him.

Not fond of the idea of Yunho seeing those he dressed quickly and moved on to take his time doing his makeup flawlessly and trying on accessories. In contrast Yunho wasn’t fond of the idea of being locked out of their shared bathroom all morning when he really needed to pee, but oh well priorities.

The two grabbed lunch before the younger went out and soon enough Seonghwa was tapping at his door.

“Ready to go?” The other asked standing there in all his glory and Hongjoong’s heart was fluttering at the sight all over again. It wasn’t like he had fallen yet. But he saw the cliff before him as he looked at the other’s eyes, the potential for the deep drop it lead to.

They took the bus, on brand with being broke college students neither had a car, and spent the trajectory getting to know each other better. Things like that were always awkward, but Seonghwa held himself with a gentle and warm demeanor, making the hero at ease to open up.

Hongjoong never had any trouble socialising, but talking with the other felt different. Troubling in the best of ways, nervousness settling in the pit of his stomach. The older’s attention on him made him feel floaty and unfiltered. 

It was about halfway there when he realised he was the one doing most of the talk, the other being just such a good listener and he was intending to turn it around when they were suddenly interrupted in the worst of ways.

☀ · ✩ · ☀

The bus had stopped quite a few times stuck in traffic, finally it was moving again when it suddenly halted, hitting the breaks with a screech as it crashed hard against something shaking everyone inside the packed vehicle. The panicked screams were deafening as you never expect that to happen to you, but it did and no one was prepared for it.

It all happened very quickly and next thing he knew Hongjoong was on the floor with Seonghwa’s arms steady around him shielding the shorter from above. Even though he didn’t even remember falling he must’ve done it and hit his head at some point because everything was still spinning when he heard the other speak next. 

“Stay down, I’ll see if it’s safe to move.” He said, and after a second of looking at each other with Seonghwa waiting for him to show some sign of understanding, the older started moving to get up as the hero’s eyes seemed to comply.

Hongjoong wasn’t the type to wait around and be protected, but as he moved to follow he winced and fell back down, his forearm burning in pain and dizziness dawning on him. Huffing he took his time to slowly sit up, avoiding putting weight on it.

Seonghwa walked cautiously toward the exiting doors that were cracked up and dirty with blood spatters. Approaching it felt like a mistake, because he wasn’t ready to see what he saw next, one of his friends was laying there clearly injured.

“San?” He asked horrified pushing against the door, opening its weakened structure without much resistance. 

“Hey” the other mumbled from the floor turning his head slowly to look up at him, his voice weak and eyes straining to focus. “Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa crouched down to check and upon further inspection San was stuck there in between the floor and deformed metal. The only thing that could be done was to wait for an ambulance.

The few people that were inside were getting up around him, the shock finally cooling down and starting to push around him to run out. Looking back he could see Hongjoong lagging behind having difficulty to stand up still.

Seonghwa made his way back against the current of people to help the other worried for him and as he was about to reach him the inside of the bus oddly trembled again with the sound of metal unhinging and bending, the few untouched windows now finally shattering with the feeling of an unexpected new impact, weaker than the last but equally frightening.

They crouched down again waiting for it to pass, a new wave of screaming banging on their eardrums. Seonghwa reached through the remaining distance grabbing Hongjoong hand and helping to pull him up to then hurry outside with everyone else wasting no more time.

The place where San was before now was empty, the rubble that weighed him down crumpled up inwards into the bus and blood being the only indicator he was there before.

The man himself was impossible to have disappeared, much less to be up and running when Seonghwa was sure he saw open fractures a minute ago. Impossible for sure, however as the older scanned the scene he spotted San walking away if nothing had happened to him, already heading into the frightened crowd with his head low before any of them had the time to register his bloody clothes.

Seonghwa left Hongjoong’s side for a second murmuring he’ll be right back, running towards San trying to catch up, still worried about his injuries. Adrenaline certainly didn’t cut it as an explanation for this, but the villain was as shook as everyone else even if he acted fast and seemed steady and processing what was happening was still difficult.

“San, wait up! You need to get checked.” He tried reaching out to hold him back, but the other quickly evaded his touch.

“Ah, Seonghwa-ssi, you were there? What a scary accident, are you okay?” the other answered with a surprised expression turning to look at him, as if they hadn’t met minutes ago.

“What? I’m fine, but you wer-” that took the villain back and San swiftly took the chance to cut him off.

“Me? I’m fine, don’t worry.” The boy answered hurriedly still holding a confused expression, his brow arched trying to seem worried, but badly masking his impatience as he fidgeted nonstop.

“But you were…” Seonghwa lost his words halfway as he checked the other from head to toe. There was nothing at all. His clothes were definitely dirty and ripped up, but every bit of exposed skin was fine, healthy looking if not a bit too pale. 

With the wounds the boy had a few minutes ago he shouldn’t even be able to move an inch without crying in excruciating pain much less be standing and walking energetically like that, in fact such injuries should take more than months to heal properly.

“I was what?” San asked with an eyebrow raised almost challenging him to say it out loud, although he couldn’t quite place the emotion his eyes held. 

Seonghwa would think he was crazy, specially with the look San was giving him, but he had played that game before and he knew what he saw.

“I’m fine really and I’m in a rush, you take care hyung.” San said finally rushing to get away.

Seonghwa sighed. So his classmate had a power like that. He wondered how he didn’t notice it before. He made a mental note to see to it later. He was sure he could be of help and San would need it sooner or later, specially with a power like that.

☀ · ✩ · ☀

Hongjoong watched as Seonghwa walked back to him, now waiting at the sidewalk away from the commotion.

“Was that someone you know?” Hongjoong asked worrying for the other.

“Yeah, a classmate. I was just checking to see if he was fine, he’s okay.” Seonghwa said dismissively.

“Thank god” Hongjoong replied relieved and then shifted his attention to himself, pushing his sleeve up to see what was causing this pulsing pain in his forearm that he put off looking at until then. 

Even before he did, it was easy to guess the situation through the rips formed on it. He mourned the loss of such a nice shirt more than the huge bleeding scratches over his skin knowing those would heal with time. At least he could make use of the remaining cloth later on, hopefully.

“We should wash that up.” Seonghwa said, wincing at the wound. The commotion was huge as people crowded around the scene waiting for first responders. No one seemed to be really hurt besides a couple of old people that seemed overly distressed with everything. Behind them traffic started to form as the conglomerate of people spread through the rest of the street, many curious eyes joining in and closing the path.

Seonghwa lead Hongjoong away by the hand and the hero let him judging that staying was not going to be any good. Walking only a few meters they got into a nearby corner store, quickly asking the cashier for the restroom.

“Only for customers” the girl said chewing her gum loudly.

“Didn’t you see what happened just now? Shouldn’t you be at least a little sympathetic? A bus just crashed in the middle of the Avenue!” Hongjoong started pointing to his arm, clearly impatient and about to give some attitude to the attendant, but Seonghwa was quicker than his sharp tongue dropping a few packs of gum and a candy bar on the counter and pulling his wallet.

Great, this was going just great. Their bus crashed, his shirt was ruined and now his date was wasting money on him just so he wouldn’t cause a scene, the younger wondered what would drive Seonghwa away fastest, fate or Hongjoong himself. Both were clearly conspiring against the hero.

He wallowed in self pity as they made their way to the toilet, Seonghwa now following his lead as he lightly stomped his way through frustratedly.

He was lost in his own mind as he made his way to a sink.

“I’ll help” His date said, looking over Hongjoong’s shoulder at the injury being washed. Hongjoong was quick to rinse the blood off though, not thinking there was much the other could do either way. 

“Here” Seonghwa hurried to put his bag on the counter and scavenger through it. “Let me take care of it.”

“What? You have some band-aids to put on it? I think it’s a bit too big for that” Hongjoong said absentmindedly looking around for the drier or some tissues. “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine already.”

“There could be glass shards in it and you’re still bleeding.” He said showing off a small first aid kit he had pulled out. “Come here” The older motioned for him to hand over his arm as he opened the little box and pulled some materials. Hongjoong was out of words for a second before resting his forearm into one of his hands.

“You carry a medkit with you everywhere?” He asked watching the other inspecting his injury.

“Mhm. This is gonna hurt a bit, okay?” Seonghwa hummed in reply while grabbing some tweezers.

“What a mom thing to d- _ aah! _” Hongjoong was mumbling before Seonghwa went in to pull out at tiny glass crystal.

“Well, it paid off now, didn’t it?” Clearly he was amused by the shorter’s reaction, but his smile reached his eyes warmly as he moved on to bandaging it up.

“I guess so.” The hero muttered gladly accepting defeat and smiling back at the sight.

After all was done and his things were pushed back onto the bag the older leaned against the counter. They shared a moment of comfortable silence, Hongjoong swirling his arm to admire the handy work.

“Do you still feel like going to the concert?” Seonghwa asked.

“Huh?” That caught him off guard, forgetting why they were there for a moment.

“I mean we’ve just been through what could be considered a pretty traumatic experience and I’m sure that hurts, so I understand if you want to end the day here.” Seonghwa said a sympathetic look in his face, if not a bit disappointed.

“Ah, no no I’m all good, this isn’t that serious.” Hongjoong answered quickly swinging his arm around as if to prove his point. “Let’s hurry before we are late.”

Maybe not everything was ruined after all.

☀

“I’m a fashion major.”

“I see, I can’t believe I didn’t ask that sooner but it fits you.” Seonghwa commented and Hongjoong couldn’t look more smug about the compliment. “Then what about my fashion? Am I up to par?” he continued with a raised eyebrow and a playful smile.

They were now back at Hongjoong’s usual coffee shop to unwind from the euphoria of the concert, trying to extend their time together even if by just a couple of hours longer. The coffee shop was always open overnight, being around a few student residencies that demanded for caffeine way into the later hours of dawn and welcomed them with a warm atmosphere.

“Hmm...” Hongjoong half pouted and scrunched his eyebrows, pretending to think and taking the chance to check Seonghwa out yet another time. “You’re decent.” He said finally his pout breaking out into a toothy smile.

The other scoffed mocking dramatic offense at that before his expression formed into a reluctant smile as well and both were laughing. “Then what’s your professional advice for me?”

“Hmmm, maybe you’re a bit too formal?” Hongjoong answered making sure to emphasise the doubt in his words. “I mean I’ve only met you twice, but it shows that you put effort on your appearance. I like that.” He finished with a smirk.

“Is that so?” Seonghwa replied, focusing on sipping on his coffee perhaps a tad bit bashful.

“Mhm” Hongjoong hummed back warmly satisfied with this new reaction he managed to pull off of him.

“Any particular reason of why you got into it?” Seonghwa asked trying to move on from the comment.

“Not really, just doing what I like. It was already a hobby of mine before, guess I’ve always been crafty, I’m just very good with my hands and all.” Hongjoong answered jokingly wiggling his fingers with a mischievous grin, Seonghwa rolling his eyes at the goofery.

“What about you? Did you just wake up one day and decided you wanted to be a doctor?” Hongjoong asked settling down and taking the last few sips of his own drink.

“I wanted to be a paediatrician when I was young like my father and his...” he replied gaze flickering to the window besides them, he didn’t bother to finish his phrase stopping himself midway. ”Now that I’m older I’ve reached the conclusion that doing research is more suitable for someone like me.” The tone of his words were laced with an emotion that Hongjoong couldn’t quite place, not bitter but maybe conformed, a suppressed sigh that the other didn’t let out noticeable in them.

It didn’t seem to be something the other enjoyed talking about so Hongjoong didn’t push it. Instead he relented in the vision before him, the other seemingly filled with thoughts as he gazed at the outside beyond the humid glass. The warm toned lights from the inside clashed slightly with the brightness coming from the lamp post right by their window as both illuminated Seonghwa’s eyes and Hongjoong wished they didn’t look so burdened.

He got caught blatantly staring and before he could avert his eyes in shame the corner of the older’s mouth curled into a smile almost as if to reassure him it was alright. It was warm and genuine and the slightest bit pained and intimate as if he was silently sharing a secret, voicing an emotion he couldn’t put into words. The whole world around them disappeared as Seonghwa sat there in his ethereal glory and Hongjoong found himself lost in it.

One of the waiters came to their table grabbing the older’s attention and startling him. A new face to him, even though Hongjoong was a regular, stood there besides their table asking awkwardly if they wanted a refill or anything else, impatience in his tone as he stood there waiting and pulling at a string coming out of his gloves. 

That made the hero look at the clock, quickly declining when he saw the hour. “Do you leave far from here? It got so late, maybe it’s better to just crash at our dorm.”

“Ah no, that’s not necessary. My friend can give me a ride, he works around here.”

☀ ⇀ ✩ 

It had been hard to keep a front with the hero, as if he didn’t already know most basic details about him and so Seonghwa would forget to ask obvious questions as they ‘got to know each other’ in that first date, but thankfully the other didn’t seem to notice any of it.

Overall it was a success, the villain didn’t remember the last time he had a date much less had that much fun in a while, he almost wished he had meet the other in a different way. Almost, as he still valued the fierce or helpless faces he could pull from the other as a villain, but he still dreaded finishing that mundane night, enjoying how Hongjoong’s chatter took his mind away from all the problems he had to deal with even if only temporarily. Nevertheless as it reached its end he was snapped out of this fantasy and into his priorities again.

He couldn’t go close to Hongjoong’s dorm without the utmost caution yet as it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the one Mingi had forbidden him to approach was Yunho, Hongjoong’s roommate. And Seonghwa would be lying if he said he wasn’t not even a little bit tempted to know more about him. 

The villain wasn’t particular scared of Mingi’s unspoken threat.

That being said, he knew better than to just walk up to him like he had done to the hero. Hongjoong didn’t have a power, as much as he had a nasty bite, he was still predictable.

He could be confident around someone like that, but around other powerful people he had to be cautious. His power was fickle and unstable around an opponent of that sort. Either extremely powerful or, more often than not, easy to resist.

Yunho was still a mystery to Seonghwa, and just as much to Mingi, he was sure. He grew up around people with powers, so he knew there was more than what meets the eye. 

The off-limit boy’s abilities neutralised others and even though it sounded like the type of skill that’d be passively tied down to him, he still somehow managed to extend that to Hongjoong. Who knew what else he could do or what trick there was to it.

Unless he fully understood every aspect there was to Yunho’s power, Seonghwa planned to avoid him entirely while continuing to play around with his roommate. 

He’d take the opportunity his little fling was giving him to carefully investigate and keep himself up to date with them. Stay one step ahead of them, so he could play without worry later.

The villain now waited leaning onto a wall at the dim lit street. He pulled out his phone to text his roommate to hurry up for the tenth time and almost as if on queue he spotted the black ranger turning the corner.

“Get in loser, I wanna go back to sleep.” Mingi called out, not very happy to be there it seemed. 

Seonghwa got inside rolling his eyes at the other and taking in his appearance. His roommate looked like he just got out of bed, dressed in pajamas and a headband pushing his messy hair out of his eyes. He guessed if he could become invisible he wouldn’t bother dressing up for something so unimportant either.

“You should’ve told me sooner that I would need to come pick you up, you’re lucky my phone wasn’t on silent.” Mingi started off grumpily. “Wouldn’t you usually hitch a ride from San around here anyway?”

“I would, but he didn’t answer my calls.” Seonghwa answered dismissively.

“Must’ve stayed late at work then, I guess.”

“Or he’s just avoiding me right now.” The villain replied grunting in annoyance at the thought.

“Did you two have a fall out or something?” Mingi asked giving him the side eye.

“Not rea-” Seonghwa tried but got cut off, the other not finished yet.

“I mean sometimes you can be a bit too sensitive, you know. We’ve talked about this, even if you think people are making a mistake it’s really not your place to tell them off like you do, no wonder people snap at tha-” His roommate rambled, already inclined to side with his other friend.

“What? No! We didn’t fight, and y’all should actually thank me for trying to keep you safe or else I doubt any of you would survive without me.” He cut the other as well, now exasperated.

“Thank you.” Mingi replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

“You’re welcome, seriously the stress I go through for you guys, next time both of you call me drunk in the middle of the night crying I...” Seonghwa continued on a rant, not satisfied.

“I didn’t mean it, your power just slipped.” Mingi noted, chuckling at the offended look Seonghwa was shooting at him. “Anyway, why would San be avoiding you?”

“I just happened to stumble upon something rather interesting today involving would dear friend, you wouldn’t believe it...” The villain then had much to explain and plan around his new findings with his partner in crime.


	5. Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, really?” His roommate asked mindlessly, more interested on unwrapping the food. “With that type of power it would be easier to get The Cardinal.”  
“Would you pair up with him? Could be like the start of a justice league.” Yunho asked out loud after some thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started very proud of my first draft for this chapter and then the more I edited the worse I started feeling about it, but I guess that's normal? Also I was feeling like it got too long so I cut it in half. The next part of it is almost done, it will continue with the same point of views and I should update again in a day or two.

The inside of the storage room separated the items of value with a barrier of fancy looking bars, surely connected to an alarm system. Cameras moved slowly, perched up high on the walls and Wooyoung eyed them with a mocking smirk remembering the old times when he actually bothered to do something about those. 

Now he no longer gave them a second thought, a hoodie and a mask being enough masking as long as he was fast enough. 

He swung back and forth on his heels for a moment with his hand on his pockets before he bolted forward, disappearing for a second and reappearing beyond the bars leaving a trail of dull silver dust in his awake.

A second later the alarms started sounding, practically deafening on his ears, but too late as Wooyoung had already run up to a seemingly more heavily guarded glass case and was unceremoniously bashing against the glass with a crowbar.

Jewellery stores like this one, too lazy or too self-assured to better store away their goods at night, were his favorite targets. So easy that it almost seemed too good to be true, but after so long Wooyoung didn’t question how stupid security could be anymore. Didn’t matter, he could always get past whatever they schemed anyway.

But maybe this time he should’ve questioned it. If he wasn’t so jaded by then the thief surely would’ve noticed that this was blatant bait. At the very least he definitely should’ve notice the trail of gold traveling through the floor coming for him sooner.

However he didn’t, the shining spreading metallic color being ignored for the shiny crystals he gathered in his pockets and so the thief had no clue as to what was happening when he turned to make his escape and he couldn’t move, his foot stuck to the floor. Panic flooded him as he heard loud stomping coming from the stairs at the far back, multiple people making their way there while he couldn’t budge.

Even his power seemed stuck, taking him all his willpower to activate it. 

The silver dust scattered and dragged itself back through the bars, but sagging down and reforming into Wooyoung again, crouching to regain his strength. 

The thief felt the cold floor against his skin barely processing that now he was barefoot. Only being able to spare one quick look back, he spotted his old sneakers still encrusted to where he was a moment ago turned completely golden before the flood of security guards coming down finally appeared.

He ran towards the small entrance he came from, a slight crack on the glass display window at the storefront, and forced himself through it with his power again momentaneously confusing his chasers.

Running through the upscale gallery’s hallway he quickly noticed that he had company waiting from him on the outside as well.

Wooyoung cursed as he ran away, knowing that the path he was forced to take lead to a balcony and soon he’d be cornered. On a normal day, running back against the current of enemies would be nothing to him, but insecurity filled him now. He felt so heavy, not being able to execute his moves as sharply as he intended.

Finally he reached the end, the hallway broadening into an outdoors area fancily furbished and Wooyoung had to quickly think on his next move before they caught up with him. It’d been a while since he last did something risky like this, but he’d have to take his chances and just roll with it this time. 

If it was a big show that they wanted he’d give it to them, he thought as he gave a step back and ran forwards gaining speed and not stopping. 

The thief stepped swiftly onto a stool without losing momentum, using it as a stepping stone to propel himself over the ledge, trying his best to get as far from the building possible. 

At that moment, he couldn’t think of anything, all of it slowing down as he just felt the cold night air brush against him painfully before turning himself to dust and pushing through to the next building with the little bit of power he could manage.

Behind him the gold trail that chased him followed dangerously close, making wild and beautiful patterns spread through the sky. Similar to lightning but not quite, curling delicately into little spirals and sparkling against the moonlight, outshining Wooyoung’s opaque steel tones as one mixed and faded where the other started.

The thief’s vision was blurred with the mix of adrenaline and lack of breath as his feet touched the rooftop he landed in, the rough concrete under him scratching his barefoot sole. A last look over his shoulder gave him a glimpse of the mesmerising abstract mess that painted his trajectory, a small silhouette outstretching his hand in his direction, clearly the root of everything, surrounded by a dozen of the usual underling guards that often came after him.

Wooyoung didn’t waste time to scramble out of there. It had been a while since he felt that scared of getting caught.

༄ ⇀ ✧

Yeosang was the first person Yunho ever saw with a bright golden aura that was not wearing a mask or fighting on tv. The psych was playing on his phone while sitting on a small table at their usual coffee shop when the dazzlingly light sudden sparked at the side of his peripheral vision. 

He had jumped in fright, already tense at the prospect of the only person he knew with an aura like that, knocking his phone out of his owns hands and onto the floor. The swirl of gold shifted as it’s owner bended to get it for him.

His mind was about to enter into full panic mode until he actually stopped to look and take in the sight of the small boy in front of him. The thought that it was definitely not The Cardinal or his lackey calmed him down instantly, the other being several centimeters shorter than both the villains. He looked uneasy, fidgeting as Yunho observed him curiously.

“Uh...You know dropped this, right?” He spoke and the older finally noticed that he had his hand outstretched towards him holding his precious phone, too distracted to see it before. He really needed to stop dropping it so often, maybe luck wasn’t one of his powers after all.

The kid wore gloves, handling the phone very carefully, flinching visibly as Yunho moved his way to take it from him and the psych could feel the anxiety surrounding him with an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth.

“Thanks” Yunho replied quickly, embarrassed for leaving him hanging for so long.

“Do you want something to drink?” the other replied with eyes not meeting his, seeming impatient but the older knew better. 

“Ah, no, don’t worry it’s my fault, I was the one that dropped it and I’m waiting for someone.” Yunho answered quickly sheepishly thinking it was an apology or maybe an awkward flirt.

“No, I mean… I’m the waiter, do you wanna order something?” the other answered flatly, now looking at him weird.

“Ah yes, yes” Yunho blushed in embarrassment as he recited his usual order, a very simple drink with an unnecessary long name and a bagel.

“Okay, it’ll be right up.” he answered after writing it down, already leaving.

“Wait.” Yunho called out reaching for him on instinct. He didn’t particular mean to touch the boy, just stretching out his arm mindlessly, but the way he jumped away in a panic, the look on his face with utter horror, startled him.

Yunho never thought he could install that much fear on someone, he wondered what he did wrong to cause that as the ringing in his ears raised up and faded with the other’s rush of emotions. 

“Do you need something more?” he asked, composing himself, still breathing hard as if he had just suffered a jumpscare.

He wanted to ask about it. The aura, the gloves, the way he looked and felt so on edge. But he couldn’t figure out the right words for it. For all he knew the boy could also have something to do with the villains.

Or just not know anything at all. Yunho’s vision pointed out things that only he saw and the feelings he felt were not so different from some form of trauma, which were private things he had no business with. It was frustrating to have such details shoved in his face raising questions that he couldn’t ask without exposing himself.

“Nothing, sorry.” He muttered letting it go that time, mind racing with thoughts on how to approach the mystery laid out in front of him.

✧ ⇀ ༄

Unlike The Cardinal, Wooyoung wanted to keep a low profile and it was never a problem since his deeds couldn’t be properly reported in detail without sparking up a whole string of political debates. He managed to pick his targets well, it became harder to report a crime if you committed a few yourself and as much as the local news tried to villainify him through their half truths and outrageous headlines, it was hard for them to both try to keep it short and cry for attention at the same time.

Nonetheless he got the people’s attention online. 

Again, he wasn’t one to market himself like the current mainstream popular villain, but it was a case of actions speaks louder than words. And that made a lot of sense in his case, since Wooyoung was time and time again deemed by the public as the modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor. 

His power also following the trend of an old korean novel about a similar character known to be everywhere teleporting from one side of the country to the other in the blink of an eye robbing the corrupt and providing for the needy. He was fated to eventually appeal to the general public’s approval like this.

And he would be lying if he said he didn’t like the attention. He just loved putting on a show, seeing it played back in videos, no one being able to guess how he did it. 

The nickname they gave him, Mist ‘because he could be everywhere but was still untouchable’, had his confidence in the clouds and the wrong claims of his power being teleportation were his favorites, taking his ego even higher. No one could touch him. Literally. Because his power wasn’t teleportation, not even close to it. 

Yet it was hard to explain. What he did, could it be classified as disintegrating? He wasn’t sure, but he knew it’s properties well despite not being able to describe them and Mist was a very befitting name for it. He just particularly felt every atom in his body, felt in control of every party of his physique so much that he could move it very precisely. So much that sometime those atoms weren’t even connecting anymore, going through the air weightless. Like dust, almost invisible to the human eye. 

It wasn’t super speed either as some have chimed in. He moved normally, but he could distribute the impulse he got from his steps in a more efficient way consequently jumping forward better than the average person. 

People also guessed that going through walls was part of his bag of tricks, yet it wasn’t so simple as he couldn’t pass through something solid. He still existed, he himself still solid, just scattered. Thankfully no one noticed that weakness yet.

Running freely, jumping from roof to roof as light as wind itself, feeling like stardust above anyone’s reach was a exhilarating feeling. And it just so happens that this power was also perfectly convenient for stealing. From petty theft to grand heists, he could do it all and never get caught.

Wooyoung himself had a pretty tight budget growing up, his parents struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. It particularly marked him how they always worked for wealthy people that were, more often than not, not that grateful for their services even when they worked so hard to please. 

He had been homeschooled, taking advantage of joining in classes by a tutor paid for the rich kid he grew up around. Even if he despised the adults around them, he couldn’t say the same about Yeosang, that turned out to be his only friend for years to come. 

They were inseparable, supporting themselves as they got dragged through a turbulent childhood and confinding their secrets and emotions away from the judgement that could not be found only in each other.

Inseparable they were, until his parents got fired. Accused of using him to steal from their patrons manor and he really didn’t even do it that time, the irony of the future thief being innocent. 

At the time it was the end of the world, he still remembered embarrassingly crying and pleading to the doorman to just let him see his friend, but after they were thrown out he never got past the front gate again. 

Yeosang also didn’t seem to have cared all that much about him, because he never answered any of his texts or calls again. The other went completely silent on his end.

But now he had moved on already, as he clearly was the only one that was actually affected by that. The next servant kid would go on to take his place. Maybe he was a little bitter, but whatever. It taught him a good lesson on how the world really works.

Currently he had moved out and was living in the capital. He didn’t feel the need to continue his studies as he didn’t really need a job, he made enough money as it was. He spent most of his time at a dance studio choosing that as a carrier, dancing was something he grew to have a passion for. 

The big city was full of shady targets he could exploit and plenty of connections to resell his spoils. It made him hundred times more than he could ever spend, but was too suspicious for a kid like him to go on throwing money away like this. He didn’t really feel the need to have a lavish lifestyle either, so he just lived comfortably with it and invested the excess on the type of places that helped his family before. 

The word of his donations seemed to go well with people, even though it was anonymous.

༄ ⇀ ✧

There was a thief well known for burglarising high end jewellery stores and fancy mansions that had been terrorising the city for a couple of years already. Yunho had that knowledge in the back of his head somewhere, because everyone knew about it, it was a popular topic.

But he was neither rich nor particularly curious about it. He hadn’t heard many details and the media did a crappy job in relaying anything relevant outside a paywall, so when he turned on the news that morning the last thing he expected was a full segment being dedicated about it or the whole panic surrounding Mist’s recent heist.

It was by complete chance and luck he was seeing this, usually he would be in class and not at home at that hour. But that morning he woke up sick to his stomach and could not move a finger without feeling like he would barf. Joongie, the ever so prepared roommate, spared some medicine for his sickness and left with a promise to bring him some easy to digest lunch later.

So that day he was staying in. It was several hours waiting for the meds to kick in before he felt like he could move and when he finally did it was only to grab his laptop and come back under the blankets, turning on the tv as background noise.

The more they spoke about the thief’s latest prowess though, the more his interest peaked. The news anchor made it sound like what he did was some sort of magic trick beyond just human abilities. And that was kinda relevant to him, cuz, you know, until some months ago he thought he was the only person ever cursed with a power.

And since he wasn’t paying that much attention before, he was blindsided when they finally started showing scenes of the robbery in question and there was not one but two golden auras there. Wasn’t that interesting. 

Yunho watched the news attentively from then on. Although he couldn’t get a grasp of what the two powers actually did no matter how many times they showed the same few clips, it was clear they were indeed superpowers as if the golden auras weren’t enough evidence.

Maybe there were more people like him than he first thought, perhaps there was golden auras surrounding him all around and he just needed to pay more attention. However, knowing his luck, the new barista at his local coffee shop that instantly came to mind being one of them couldn’t be a coincidence.

Hongjoong came back into their room practically unnoticed as the psych was immersed at the newscast, carrying a couple of paper bags filled with food and heading directly to the free space at the end of Yunho’s bed.

“I’m back! They didn’t have your order so I-” The older called out as he made his way and dropped himself and the bags over the sea of comforters. 

“Shhh” He shushed the other’s interruption.

“What? What is it?” Hongjoong asked finally noticing where the other had his attention turned to.

“The news, have you seen this before? Someone with powers is standing up against Mist. They’re calling him a hero like they did with you when you started.” Yunho explained his eyes trained on the swirling gold on the screen.

“Oh, really?” His roommate asked mindlessly, more interested on unwrapping the food. “With that type of power it would be easier to get The Cardinal.”

“Would you pair up with him? Could be like the start of a justice league.” Yunho asked out loud after some thought, Yeosang jumping to his mind yet again.

“I’m not sure, they must have some sort of hidden reason to go after this thief, right? I wouldn’t want to partner up with someone just as bad as the rest of them.” The older answered passing him a pot with some type of soup inside.

Yunho hadn’t really thought about that. He tried not to look too deep into what Hongjoong meant as rest of them. Surely he meant the rest of the villains making a big scene and not just people with powers in general. 

Yunho didn’t like that his mind jumped to that interpretation. 

“I see. I hadn’t thought about it.” He muttered. The soup didn't look that appetising, but he tried eating some for the sake of it.

“I mean if you have a power like that and are willing to fight why would you go for this guy and not The Cardinal? Robberies are wrong and all, but I find mass mind control way more unforgivable than stealing some pretty rocks from people that don’t even lose that much with it.” Hongjoong continued, not impressed with the newer hero.

”I guess so” Yunho replied. He wouldn’t think about going against The Cardinal either, weren’t he much more scary? Dealing with a thief seemed less dangerous and still overall helpful. Hongjoong was more of the type to go all or nothing though.

“Thinking about it, maybe it’s good that he hasn’t come close to The Cardinal? If he got controlled then his powers could be used against his will.” The psych tried defending the stranger as he wondered about his motives as well.

“Ah, yeah true. Let's hope that this doesn't give that asshole any ideas then." The older replied tilting his head in thought. "Anyway eat your soup and go back to resting instead of being on that laptop all day. You won't get better by playing games nonstop.”

"Ha, I wish. The class I missed today had a project we were supposed to start working on. I have to do so much coding, I won't get to play for weeks." Yunho answered sarcastically, grimacing at the task ahead. If only his power was somehow useful regarding college, maybe he should’ve gone with psychology instead.

✧ ⇀ ༄

"Wooyoungiiiiie, I've been lonelyyyy" San whined, his whole weight thrown onto Wooyoung's back while his arms wrapped around his neck lazily.

"Ugh you're too loud, my head hurts." The shorter scolded him, just as loud himself but voice dying down to a whisper by the end of it.

"Ah, what's that? Have you been out partying yesterday? Without me?" San had now a mischievous grin, mistaking the other’s reaction as traces of a hangover, distancing himself enough to look at the other's face. "I even told you how bored I was, have you found someone you're more interested in?" He continued accusingly, more curious than actually upset.

"I didn't, I just had a rough night." Wooyoung replied groaning, dismissive of the other's attempt to rial him up. It was unusual for him to act like that, specially around San and it only had the older worrying.

"Is that so?" He asked mood dropping a bit.

"Yes, now stop fooling around and start helping out already." 

They were helping out at a local school as volunteers, spending their Saturday organising donations. San wasn’t there exactly by sheer good will, he did it mostly for extra credit, but considering he had other options it still spoke some of his values. 

Wooyoung’s dance crew participated in quite a few charity events and as he had that much free time he got into volunteering by himself, curious to see in first person which places were genuine enough to share his loot with. The two of them met there almost a year ago, clicking right away and with time developing a long lasting friendship.

"I got it, I'm going to get more box- aha!" San was about to move when he spotted it. With a devious smirk he went back to teasing "You sneaky little devil, are you lying to me now?"

"What are you even talking about?" Wooyoung sighted pushing a box to a higher shelf, on his tiptoes, his arms stretched to reach up there.

"There's proof all over your arms! Must have been a wild night if you're still covered in glitter under your clothes." San pointed at his arms with a somewhat hungry expression at the thought and it wasn't glitter per se that was there. Something more expensive. Wooyoung quickly retracted his arms in a panic, San perceiving that as an admission to the truth.

"Haha, don't worry bro I'm not judging. Just don't forget I'm here too you know I'm getting so bored with classes lately I really need a night out to get wasted and forget about..." San continued talking mindlessly, Wooyoung however wasn't hearing much anymore a bit affected by seeing the sparkles of gold encrusted in his arms, sparkling obnoxiously in the natural light.

Honestly, he felt a little invaded. For you see, his power required him to have a very thorough awareness of his own body, else he might disperse and then regroup as completely different form or missing a limb and that wouldn't be very fun. So he knew and practically felt every single independent cell in his own body. 

That's how he could separate the gold from himself at the end of the day. In the heat of the moment it slowed him down, glued him to stuff and he just wasn't able to keep up with it so quickly, but if he just sat down and took a long pause he could get it out. It didn't affect him. It shouldn't affect him. And that's why just finding stray pieces like this felt so frustrating, intrusive even. 

Because he should've noticed they were there. He shouldn't be having that pointed out to him.

The first time he was hit and petrified it felt foreign and heavy on him. It felt almost unbearable, like a lead ball attached to his ankle or having to carry dumbbells with him.

With time he was growing used to it, just feeling it mildly annoying and gross like stepping on gum or when you stick a piece of tape to a cat. A feeling of something being wrong and you just can't shake it off.

But by then it had evolved into it sneaking into him and downright naturally feeling like it was part of him. 

How many times had he used his powers since the last fight? And just considered the gold as part of his own anatomy, pushed it out then pulled it back in like a normal piece of him? And he didn't notice that not even once?

It sparked many questions and unfounded fear in Wooyoung's head. He hadn't had so many qualms pop up since the time he was still learning to use his power. What if he ends up mistaking actual parts of him with the gold? What if he's slowly becoming metal with each hit of that power? What if...

"Wooyoung?" San asked, his face centimeters from his own looking for any signal of consciousness in his eyes. "Seriously, whatever you had last night must've been pretty heavy huh." San mumbled pouting his tone low and whiny, distraught at being ignored and his brows arched in worry.

Wooyoung always wore his heart on his sleeve, so San never batted an eye at his mood swings that were followed by either lovable praise or sharp remarks. It was disconcerting at first, but once he got used to it his directness made things easier. You always knew what you were getting from him, as reserved as he was with his private life you could still always tell what his mood was. 

And for San that had known him for a good while, it felt like he had developed a good gut instinct to know when it was just Wooyoung being grouchy and when things should be more concerning to him.

"Sorry, let's just get this done with, okay? Then we can go grab some chicken." San didn't let it go, worry still in his face, but loosened up as Wooyoung continued. "My treat. Let's hang out today and then we can have chicken while binge watching something together. I'll even let you pick one of those sappy dramas you like." 

"Well, if you say so, no take backs" The older answered a little tauntingly as he thought about his options.

"Yeah, now get a move on while I go grab an aspirin." Wooyoung huffed. He supposed a day with his best friend would do him good. Better than being alone and getting lost on his own anxiety.

༄ ⇀ ✧

  
  


It was a holiday when Yunho first got a glimpse of who Yeosang really was. The coffee shop was infested that day, filled with both regulars and odd new customers ordering festive drinks that didn’t seem simple to make. 

Usually the tall boy would avoid crowds as much as possible being overly sensitive to them but after the opportunity of having a empty lab all for himself, allowing him to spend the whole morning playing around with his gadgets, his hunger was enough of a grounding feeling for him to be able to brave the rainbow of auras inside the packed space.

Yunho was sitting at the counter that day, not where he usually sat but the only available spot then, taking the chance to watch Yeosang work more closely. The boy was making the drinks that time, not very efficiently, but the severely understaffed team of part timers there were practically all hired recently so it was expected.

At that point Yunho already had a hunch of who Yeosang could be. Not that it was difficult to guess, if he ignored the chance of the barista being someone unrelated to the superhero scene then only two options were left. And only one of them was a newcomer as Yunho had researched.

Yeosang set a plate with his bagel in front of him, the drink next almost slipping from his hand if Yunho didn’t rush to hold it. The barista evaded him like the plague, retracting five steps as soon as he motioned forward. They were already acquainted and on a first name basis already with how often Yunho came by, so one would think he’d have warmed up to him at that point.

“You know, maybe is the gloves? I think it would be easier without them?” It wasn’t the first time things slipped from his hands and Yunho was starting to become concerned for the younger boy.

The other didn’t respond, looking briefly at his hands as the golden outline swayed in doubt before going back to work.

It was an interesting concept, that all people with powers had golden auras surrounding them. Yunho could now pinpoint powerful people with a look, that ought to be useful. Apparently invisibility didn’t follow that rule, but with three cases against one it seemed to be more of an exception to a rule. 

He never had much time to really analyse The Cardinal’s aura and considering the consistency of the situations he was met with it, there wouldn’t be much drastic changes happening anyway. But watching Yeosang he noticed the subtle change in the tones as it flared up and dimmed down, the boy definitely struggling against the pressure in his task.

Once his vision got past the shining gold filter, the elusive aurora of matching hues each person would usually hold was there just more metallic than normal. Yeosang’s colors were a variety of pinks, something Yunho hadn’t seen in a while. The rose gold was pleasant to the view, he thought fondly.

He wondered what type of colors his villain counterpart had, the invisible guy. The psych didn’t think his aura appeared even when they touched, if it did he must’ve been in too much of a panic to pay attention to it. He comically thought of what type of answer he’d get if he texted the other asking about it as he munched on his lunch.

‘Hey, I’m curious about what color your aura is, do you by any means know why I can’t see it?’ It’s not like he could just say that, right? Well, not that he had anything to lose with it, at least not that he could think of. 

They didn’t exchange any messages since Hongjoong started going after The Cardinal and it seemed clear that the other wanted no contact with them. But by now that it was evident that Yunho couldn’t convince Hongjoong to back off maybe he should try sending something. 

For an enemy, the invisible boy didn’t seem as vicious as one would expect. His memory of their last encounter was fuzzy already, reaching over a couple of months since, but the other gave him such a soft impression. 

Unlike his roommate and the red clad villain, Yunho would much rather talk this out if he could, not into the fights at all and he could guess his villainous counterpart must feel the same. If only Yunho could see his aura maybe he’d have a more accurate sense of his intentions with the way he tried talking to him at first. Well, it all depended on the villain’s objective, he guessed.

Not that the other would have an answer for his initial question either way.

It was rather difficult separating the world he saw from the world that the other powerful people lived in. Finally there were people around him going through the same, yet each of their struggles was entirely unique to each other. It was comforting and depressing at the same time.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the loud sound of metal hitting the floor. The barista he formerly had his eyes on just dropped a tray full of drinks, the drinks he had been struggle up until now to prepare now spilled all over the floor. 

The boy himself was slightly shaking, looking down and Yunho didn’t need to see the colorful contour or smell the scent of rain to recognise the signs that he was close to crying. He watched as the other took a deep breath and crouched down to grab the tray. 

As he made through the motions to come up and set it down before coming back to pick up the cups a girl with the same uniform came. She placed a hand on his shoulder stopping him and he froze in place, discomfort seeping from him.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll clean this up real quick I swe-” Yeosang started apologizing, stammering through his worlds. The boy looked rather fragile at that moment, still holding on but about to burst under the pressure of the job.

“No, no don’t worry. How about you go and take a breather? It’s okay, we’ll just clean this up and re-do everything for you.” The girl spoke softly trying to calm him down with a sweet motherly tone and Yunho assumed she must’ve been the one in charge by the sheer tiredness coming from her. 

She gesticulated with her hands a lot as she spoke and even though the feelings he received were an abstract concept Yunho was sure he could tell precisely every time the boy’s heart rate increased as her fingers got just a bit too close for comfort to him. The difference was subtle, a spike in anxiety that was piled up onto even more of the same feeling, but both layers inherently different in nature.

“But…” He tried to protesting, but got cut off quickly.

“We’re all stressed, Yeosang. Don’t let it get to you, okay? Just take a break and come back when you’re feeling better. Like this you aren’t gonna be able to do anything.” The lady said, more commanding and less brightly than before, letting her exhaustion slip through slightly.

Yeosang seemed to give up at that, shoulders slumping as he turned away. 

Yunho watch as he left the place through the side door into the alley next to it. He looked back at his half eaten bagel for a second not feeling so hungry anymore, he just felt like he had to do something after going through that whole overwhelming emotional trainwreck with him.

As he walked out the little bell rang and the younger looked up at him, their eyes meeting briefly. He look extra tiny crouched down besides the door looking up at him with teary eyes shining under the sunlight, red around the corners. He looked away quickly and didn’t look back as if Yunho would just disappear if he didn’t look at him.

The boy sniffled and brought his hand to his face to wipe away the tears threatening to fall. The psych noticed that it was the first he saw him with his gloves off, the piece of clothing hanging on his tight as he fidgeted with his bare hands trying to calm his breathing.

“Hey” Yunho kneeled down in front of him, calling out gently as possible. 

The other looked at him again and his arm moved on his own to touch his shoulder as an instinct, skinship being his go to for comforting. It was dumb of him, doing the only thing he knew for sure would worsen the situation, but he hadn’t thought it through.

“Don’t touch me!” the boy yelled out distancing himself as much as he could, startling the taller. He fell downwards, now sitting on the floor. Through the surface that his hands touched to support himself a golden handprint spread as he tried to scoot further away to be able to stand up.

“No, wait, look! I know. I know about your power.” Yunho started talking rushedly with his hands up in the air, knowing he fucked up and desperate to not scare the boy away even more. 

That made Yeosang freeze and Yunho took the chance to try and defuse the situation, speaking in a more hushed cooing tone. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay even if I touch you, because I have one too. Trust me.”

Yeosang didn’t look too sure about it looking at him like he was crazy, a terrified expression gracing his face, but Yunho took it as a good sign that he had stopped and not bolted yet.

“I’m like you.” Yunho continued now slowly standing up and bending down, offering his hand to the other. “You’re not gonna hurt me, I swear.”

He left his hand hanging there, patiently waiting to see if he would take it. Yunho wasn’t like Hongjoong that naturally gave people he cared about space till they’d go looking for him themselves, nor as selective of such people for that matter. 

Yunho was more pushy and impatient wanting to help right away, maybe because the problem was way more apparent to him, affecting him as much as the next person, but he learned a thing or two from the other. As much as his power was so invasive he himself shouldn’t be.

“It’s okay” He looked the other in the eyes, nodding in reassurance and motioning with his hand. The other hesitated for a moment way too long and the psych almost gave in, his back starting to hurt from waiting like that. 

Before a defeated sigh could escape his lips however Yeosang moved, slowly reaching up to him. Yunho pulled him up, helping him stand up and letting go of his hand to show his palm.

“See?” he asked with a comforting smile while holding his hand in the air for the other to inspect.

“How?” Yeosang asked rushing to grasp his hand again, not believing his eyes.

“I can… Stop other powers.” He spoke hesitantly. No matter how long it passed since he first started talking to Hongjoong about his power, he still hated saying it out loud. It looked like he could sympathize with the smaller boy on that at least. “As long as I’m touching you, you won’t be able to use yours.”

Yeosang eyes widened even more if that was possible, bringing a second hand to hold onto Yunho’s massive one, looking at them with what he assumed was wonder by the tingling feeling surrounding them.

“How… how did you know?” Yeosang asked slowly without taking his eyes of their interlaced hands, confusing the older. When he didn’t get an answer he clarified. “About my power I mean. How did you know I had one?”

“I can see things normal people can’t, like auras and such.” Yunho replied, his voice lowering. “People like us are easier to distinguish for me.”

The younger looked up at his face finally, brow scrunched up. Yunho guessed he was intrigued, but he couldn’t quite tell with the other holding his hand and consequently muting him senses.

The bell rang again interrupting the charged moment, another attendant clocking out and coming out to tell Yeosang to come back and replace them. Yunho was left alone as the other went back inside, the other’s eyes looking distraught at having to let go of his hands and put back his gloves, but nonetheless abiding to it while excusing himself.


	6. Mist Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The younger sat down across from him awkwardly, quietly waiting for Yunho to start his interrogatory. 
> 
> It was weird to be in that role this time around, to be the one directing the witch hunt, but if it was gonna be this way he was hoping to at least make the other feel more comfortable than when Yunho was in his place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Yeosang's power makes sense and the explanation doesn't feel too long . I also feel like I give Yunho too many internal monologues and don't really know if the descriptions of what he sees with his own power is too coherent or even too many as well?   
Either way I'm trying my best, I need to keep trying in order to improve is what I keep telling myself. The next update will take a little longer than this one, but I'm already working on it I promise. If it sticks to what I envision right now everyone and their powers will have appeared by the end of chapter 7 so look forward to it!

Slowly and lazily Wooyoung opened his eyes again, arms wrapped around his waist reminding him of where he was. They hadn’t gotten past half of the first season of whatever series San had picked before he crashed. San acted accordingly, laying them down and spooning him into a comfortable and dreamless much needed nap.

As he stirred the arms clutched to him tighter, San’s nose nuzzling the crook of his neck and letting out a protesting whine right onto his ear still wanting to stay deep asleep. With a sight Wooyoung settled against him again.

He didn’t expect to make many friends outside his dance crew when he first moved there. He didn’t work and he didn’t study, dance was something serious for him and to be honest he foolish thought he wouldn’t ever be needing anyone else at that time of his life.

However now he was glad he had met San, how they clicked so well and practically felt like each other’s missing piece at that point. They were comfortable around each other, never needing to filter their words and were there to support each other. They didn’t need to be embarrassed or even ask for anything, the other was always there to provide whatever the other needed maybe even before they knew they need it.

But there was always this thin line that they never crossed. Or rather he never crossed, San always seemed to be one step over it looking back to see if Wooyoung followed him, and taking that step back when he didn’t. 

They went out clubbing to unwind pretty often, having fun, getting drunk and hooking up, but they never had that talk about what they were to each other. Sometimes they were best friends, sometimes they were more. Most of the time they just felt like home to each other and that was enough, no need to label it, no need to make a move. Most of the time it was enough. Not always, he thought to himself melancholic.

“Wooyoung?” San asked from above. From above?

With a startle Wooyoung sat up.

“Did you fall from the couch?” he continued asking, voice husky sounding still half asleep.

He was now sitting on the floor, a second ago completely laying on the carpet. 

He didn’t notice. His power activated and he didn’t noticed. It had been years since that happened.

When his power first started showing itself it was a common occurrence to drop things because his hands weren’t solid, to wake up under his bed, to fall through a fence he was leaning against. As if he wasn’t really there, as if he stopped existing for a second.

The thief didn’t like it, that feeling. He put in so much effort into controlling that power, to make it his own and prove to himself he was more than just a weird glitch in the universe.

He was there, he  _ existed _ .

To lose control like that was miserable. He raised his hand to push his hair off his eyes and the taunting golden speckles sparkled on his skin like crystallized freckles. 

Damned be that golden hero and damned be Choi San.

A knock on the door was heard and San got up with a sigh.

“Seonghwa?” he heard the other ask, voice far away. Wooyoung didn’t notice he had moved all the way to the door, deep in that state where he is aware of being zoned out but not quite able to come back from it. He was feeling like trash and being alone felt like a better idea right now than it did that morning.

He took the cue the newcomer stranger had given him and run to grab his stuff ready to ditch the place, mumbling to San he needed to go and passing through them both without looking back.

༄ ⇀ ✧

Yunho found himself sat on a booth at the cafe about to have a serious talk regarding powers once again. He hoped this wouldn’t become a recurring situation. At least this time both of them had their share of explaining to do and he drew comfort from that as he stirred a pack of sugar into his bitter drink, waiting for the other to start his break.

Although Yunho was worried the barista would start to avoid him after he outed both of their secrets, Yeosang surprised him, having almost immediately agreed to sit down and talk to him on a more peaceful time. 

He seemed keen on the idea even and the taller could easily guess why. The front the boy put up had the psych expecting him to be more prideful, but he too would be desperate for help if it was his case. Yunho was glad the other saw such hope in him, that made everything easier and the prospect of having someone else like him around was admittedly exciting.

Yeosang appeared after a few minutes of waiting, apron still wrapped around his waist and the psych could feel his anxiety. The younger sat down across from him awkwardly, quietly waiting for Yunho to start his interrogatory. 

It was weird to be in that role this time around, to be the one directing the witch hunt, but if it was gonna be this way he was hoping to at least make the other feel more comfortable than when Yunho was in his place. A plate with a piece of chocolate cake was pushed towards the unexpecting boy with a small smile, his courtesy as Yunho had seen the other munching on that dessert often, which was received with a meek thanks and the scent of appreciation. 

He seemed to have chosen the right gift, the psych was good at that knowing all too well the familiar smell of strong vanilla extract and the pastel yellow hue that flared up amidst the other’s aura.

“So you’re fighting that infamous thief, right?” He started trying to sound not too serious while the other pushed away the plastic wrapping with his fork.

“Yes, I’m the one going after Mist.” Yeosang answered finally meeting his eyes. He sounded confident on that, hopefully a sign of him being willing to open up.

“Then you’re the one people are calling Stardust. What does your power do exactly?” Yunho asked going straight to the point, hoping that to take that out of the way as soon as possible would be the best way to go about it.

“Everything I touch turns into gold.” Yeosang answered reluctantly after a moment of silently avoiding his eyes yet again, the window view seeming very interesting all of a sudden.

“Well, ain’t that a predicament.” Yunho answered voice light, not being able to stop a small smile that came on his face as he instantly thought of how quick he could escape his college debt if he had a power like that instead of lamely seeing extra blurry colors and getting headaches from emotionally charged strangers.

“Haha, very funny. It might sound good, but I can assure you it’s not.” The other replied flatly, not pleased with Yunho’s reaction.

“I’m guessing that, like Midas’ curse in disguise, you can’t control it?” The psych asked, already knowing the answer. As convenient as it would be to become rich using it, there were numerous stories in history advising to the danger of something like that. They were usually a metaphor for greediness, but they worked just as well in the literal sense in that case.

“You would be right.” Yeosang agreed focused at picking on his cake now, his tone lowering making Yunho having to strain to hear it almost as if he was ashamed of that fact. 

Yunho didn’t think that feeling was shame per se, but he couldn’t quite place it as the bitter matcha-like taste coming from it filled his mouth and nose even as he sipped his caramel drink.

“How do you… use it? To fight I mean. I saw it on tv, but I couldn’t have guessed it from that at all.” Yunho asked giving up on trying to read the boy any deeper than he already had.

“It’s hard to explain, I can… Spread the gold. Almost like an infectious disease.” He sad, looking grim, clearly not fond of his abilities. “I can pull it back as well, although how easy that is depends on the material. Air is a particularly easy medium to pull it from. I touch the air with a bit more intent and then just push the gold through and back. It’s not as long ranged and quick as it would be if I was using the floor for example, because it takes a lot of effort to turn it but it’s the cleanest method.”

Yunho had some trouble wrapping his head around air itself becoming gold, but he could comprehend the general idea. It was a creative use for it and, more than King Midas, the boy reminded him of Medusa from the way he managed to weaponize his power to turn his opponent into stone from afar.

“So using your power depends on the surface you’re touching…” Yunho asked, his brain racing to understand all benefits and restrictions that entailed, like rules he’d have to remember to play a game.

“I still don’t quite understand it myself, but from what I’ve gathered it’s more about the states of matter. Liquids are almost impossible, gases takes effort to turn but are easy to revert and solids… Solids are turned easy and hard to revert. That’s why I need to take this so serious.” he explain looking at his gloved hands.

“What about The hunter, what type of power does he has?” Yeosang asked suddenly, trying to change the subject.

“Huh?” It caught Yunho off guard, the mention of a third person.

“Didn’t you say you mention you were with the guy that's fighting the Cardinal? I assume is something with electricity from what I keep seeing online.” The other responded, not noticing the cause of his confusion.

So Hongjoong was being called The Hunter, huh. For someone that spent so much time online the psych didn’t really bother with news about Hongjoong too much since he had front row tickets to his stunts already. An interesting name that still made no sense for him, he made a mental note to pick up on his slack and look for the meaning behind it later.

It was true that most weapons Yunho had provided him with had electricity as the base damage provider. They were the easiest to adjust with his power and knowledge and the most humane route even though he was starting to have to up his creativity lately on ways to not do harm and still appease Hongjoong’s grudge. 

It was the hero that wanted to not get carried away with the weapons to start with, now it was him that tried to upkeep that value.

“He doesn’t have one, he fights using mine.” Yunho answered nonchalantly, not really thinking about how confusing that must’ve sound.

“What?” In return the boy looked utterly confused as expected.

“Most of what you see are normal custom designed weapons, I’m basically his tech guy. He goes and get the glory like Batman or James Bond while I stay in the lab and do all the hard support work.” Yunho started explaining, starting by his gadgets which were always a more exciting topic for him. “About my power it’s a long story, but simplifying it I can infuse objects with it and propagate its effect so that’s how he doesn’t get affected by The Cardinal. It’s easier to show than explaining so I brought gifts!”

“Gifts?” Yeosang was finally getting it till the last part totally derailed him again.

“There’s a few, first I got you these! These aren’t too special but I thought I’d take them out of the way first.” Yunho said excitedly as he pulled the first item from his backpack.

“Gloves?” The other didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t that.

“The ones you use seem slippery, so I asked my roommate about it and he gave me these. He comes around here a lot I’m pretty sure you must know him. He made them himself, because as he said ‘most non-slippery gloves are ugly and he wouldn’t let a friend use something like that’. ” Yunho explained, speaking in a mockingly solemn tone to imitate Hongjoong’s nagging voice. “You just need to check if the size fits, but I think he got it alright.” Yeosang stared at him in disbelief, but Yunho didn’t seem affected by it as he focused on looking through his bag. 

“Now for the cool part, I also have this.” Yunho continued excitedly pulling a piece of cloth and handing it to the younger. “It’s the second one I’ve made, so I’m confident it should work, but it would be good to test it before using it for real.”

Yeosang unwrapped the cloth to find a tiny star charm. He looked back at the other uncertain what to do with it, but the other only looked back at him excited like a huge puppy. He took it out of the cloth clumsily between his gloved fingers and held it up to the light to look at it better.

“Try touching it.” Yunho finally spoke. “You know, without the glove.”

Yeosang’s eyebrows scrunched up at the idea, anxiety filling Yunho’s mouth with a metallic taste and making he settle down a bit with his excitement. He always got carried away when it came to his inventions, probably rushing things a bit too much, but Yeosang’s aura was already dimming from the second hand exposure to the charm so he wasn’t too worried.

“Here, I’ll hold your hand if you’re scared. That way nothing can go wrong.” He said offering his hand over the table.

Yeosang looked hesitant, eyes going between the outstretched hand and his gloved ones, and Yunho couldn’t blame him as both of them seemed to be in completely different paces with the taller going too fast and him still catching up and yet to get comfortable with what was happening.

He half regretted not taking things slower as he patiently waited for the other to react, but eventually Yeosang did made the motion to take of one of his gloves swallowing loudly. 

He approached his bare palm to Yunho’s hand still hesitating to touch anything, much more a human hand like that, letting the older do the final move to grasp it. The psych held onto the back of his hand tightly as he took the charm and placed it on his palm, proceeding to pull on his fingers to close the boy’s hand into a fist around it.

“You can’t really see what it does while holding onto me, so I’m gonna let go,” He started speaking and Yeosang eyes widened like saucers at that, clearly scared at the prospect, and Yunho rushed to continue and correct himself as he rubbed his thumb on the back of the other’s hand reassuringly. “but it’s gonna be okay I promise, just hold onto that charm like this and I’ll check if it’s working.”

He waited for a sign that the other was okay with letting go and when Yeosang finally nodded shaking slightly he did it slowly, lifting his hand in the air between them and distancing his own hand from it. As expected the psych couldn’t see his aura anymore.

“It’s working! You can safely touch anything now, try it!” Yunho said with a smile all too abruptly for the tension filled moment, catching Yeosang off guard again.

”Rest your hand against the table, you’ll see.” The older tried instructing, but the other skeptically went for the tiny dessert plate bumping it with his knuckles. After years with such a power he knew better than to touch a whole table. He did the motion a few times again, his brow scrunched up in confusion. He looked back at Yunho for an explanation after softly bumping the table with hesitance and nothing happening.

“See? As long as you have that your power wont work. That way you can take a break from using those gloves! It doesn’t last forever but I can just refill it when it’s done.” Yunho said mindlessly while taking the charm back and helping him put his gloves back on, worried now that the loose tiny piece might fall off the perplexed boy’s hand. 

“If you put it into a bracelet or a necklace it should still work and even on your pockets it should have some effect. Your power is risky though, so I’d rather you kept it touching skin if possible for maximum effect.” He continued explaining as he wrapped it in cloth again to hand it over.

Yeosang didn’t let any emotion show, the way he was now quietly thinking and processing his words reminded Yunho of a statue, a freeze frame in front of his eyes. At first glance his words although polite were always spoken in a raspy tone and his attitude seemed rough around the edges reminding him of a small hedgehog. That was Yunho’s first impression of Yeosang, cute but spiky and defensive. 

However, even though his exterior seemed to not let out anything that told him otherwise, Yunho could sense how the boy marvelled at his gifts now laid on the table with fondness, grateful for it, and how he was slowly warming up to him as his aura swayed calmly in muted pastel tones. He was a good kid, a bit aloof and awkward but just the type that made the psych want to take care off him.

He knew how hard it was to do this on his own and it made him wish to be there for the younger from now on. To give him the help and the guidance he never had with his power.

Not that he had all the answers for his problems or even any knowledge about how to control the other’s power, and that was probably what he needed the most, but if Yunho could relieve his burden even if a slightly bit he wanted to do it.

He thought he was alone in this, in being an outcast, an impostor trying to fitting in around normal people. But he wasn’t and, even though it hadn’t been too long since they met and they weren’t even that close yet, now he just wanted to make sure Yeosang knew that too. Knew that he wasn’t alone.

“Finally, one last thing. I have a proposal for you from The Hunter himself.” Yunho spoke, determined to have Yeosang under his wing. 

What he was about to say wasn’t from the hero at all, it was all Yunho, but it worked perfectly for Hongjoong as The Cardinal’s power wasn’t like Mist’s physical one, it would make it all easier and then they could finally stop playing around with this dangerous situations.

“So now we are talking business.” The younger hero’s warming demeanor changed at that almost at the flicker of a beat and the confidence he had when talking about the thief before reappeared. It almost felt like now he was no longer speaking with Yeosang but with Stardust, bringing his hero’s persona to negotiate.

“Yes, don’t feel pressured to accept it on my behalf or anything, it’s really just an idea.” The older replied, not wanting to seem overbearing. “Before I continue though, he wanted to ask why did you decide to go after Mist.”

“My parents work at… that business. A few of the stores that were targeted were theirs.” Yeosang answered, seemingly uncomfortable to talk about it. 

So his parents were rich, the older thought and at the back of his mind he wondered why he would be working part time at a coffee shop if that was the case, but he knew better than to ask such an insensitive question when they barely really knew each other. 

“Every time it happens the security takes the blame and gets replaced.” The younger continued explaining sounding sorrowful. “A lot of people get hurt trying to go after him, only to get fired when they fail. It might not seem like a big deal, but it’s not only the owners that suffer from these thefts. After seeing the aftermath I just couldn’t stay still any longer. I had to do something.”

‘Can’t stay still’, ‘had to do something’, Yunho heard that speech before and he still couldn’t relate. When he got caught up in this situation his first instinct was not to get outraged at the injustice, it was more like ‘omg i’m gonna die i gotta get outta here why my body isn’t moving???’ or something along those lines. 

He only really had the urge to do something when he knew Hongjoong was involved, but it was more the fact that his conscience was heavy from it being a person he knew personally and so it felt like his responsibility.

He wasn’t kind or good enough to feel the need to fight back for someone else even when he had the perfect power to do it. He couldn’t think of a way that he could properly use it even if he wanted, not being a good fighter like his roommate.

That answer hit the psych into a self reflective state which he didn’t appreciate much, but Hongjoong would be satisfied with it for sure and that was enough for him.

“And The Cardinal? Have you been avoiding him? I imagine it would be problematic if he could control someone with your type of power.” Yunho asked curious about the other’s opinion on the villain.

“You’d think so, but his commands don’t affect me. I have no idea why.” The other answered nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t really care to fight against him anyway. Him and I aren’t that different in the end, both going after criminals. The only difference is that he’s going for easy prey.”

Okay, that part his best friend wouldn’t approve, but they could agree to disagree for all Yunho cared. It  _ was _ a grey area. Hongjoong hadn’t seen much problem with diamonds getting stolen either. All of them, heroes and villains, had grey motives and their own set of morals.

Hongjoong was better than him, fearless and with the will to do god, but even him had his actions tainted with his own need to prove himself, to overcome the insecurity that being helpless sprung on him.

The psych could see both sides. He didn’t get controlled and didn’t have a strong sense of justice, but he also felt the emotion that the mental binding struck in people afterwards. If it wasn’t constantly shoved in his face he probably wouldn’t have thought about it otherwise and probably would’ve share Yeosang’s sentiment.

“I see. Well, here’s the proposition. Considering Mist’s power making him almost impossible to imprison, I would think it’d be convenient to have something to nullify his powers, am I right?” Yunho rushed to change subjects, not wanting to delve deeper into that discussion. 

Something clicked for him as he thought about what the other would need against the thief. Why hasn’t he gotten caught already if the other could just turn him into metal? 

“In fact I would go as far as to guess that your power isn’t being enough to hold him down as it is, otherwise you’d have him turned into a statue already.” He continued, throwing in that gamble to persuade the other.

“Yes, you would be right. Partially.” Yeosang’s stoic front flickered a bit, the apprehension he wouldn’t let show on his face unmistakably flaring up his aura and standing the hairs on Yunho’s neck. “I don’t doubt I could easily win and get this over with if I wasn’t limiting myself, but I don’t know how much Mist’s own power can protect him before I start to do permanent damage.”

“We were thinking it would be best to join forces. Whether you support the cardinal or not, you have to agree the way he manipulates so many innocent bystanders is getting out of hand. With your power The Cardinal would have to at the very least rethink his methods and lower his scale.” Yunho finally laid out his proposal, starting with what he expected was a decent motive to team up.

“And what do I gain with it?” Yeosang questioned, unexpectedly not eager on the idea still.

“We would help you as well. I can make something with my power that can render Mist unable to escape, but you wouldn’t be able to handle it without losing your own powers. My friend would be willing to backup you up and vice versa, both of you get some help defeating the enemy. It’s a win/win situation.” Yunho answered, feeling like what he was saying would make the other less nervous, yet it didn’t seem to be enough.

Yeosang was uneasy and Yunho couldn’t guess why by just reading the air. He didn’t want to pressure the younger after progressing so much before, so he tried reassuring him with a smile.

“I understand if you need more time to consider, even if you decide it wouldn’t work for you it’s fine. It’s okay to change your mind later too and I would be willing to help you with anything you need either way. We just thought it would make things easier to fight together.” The older tried in a reassuring tone, a tentative smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“I- I don’t want to turn anyone into a statue.” Yeosang said meekly, finally clicking for Yunho why he had gotten so nervous.”That’s why it’s better for me to not go against someone like him.”

_ Ah, I said something like that didn’t I? _ , Yunho thought catching himself. He didn’t even realize such words left his lips, not really thinking about it as he said them. The other couldn’t control it and was already holding back to not hurt the thief, that was insensitive of him.

“Ah, yes, of course, I know! I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say it like that, I know you don’t.” Yunho hurried to apologize now sorrowful, smile dropping instantly. “I get it, really.”

An awkward silence stood for a few moments as he thought up a way mend the situation, to lift up the mood that made his senses so uncomfortable and steer away from this lingering buzzing in his ear and shadowing dark colors.

“I refuse to use my powers on someone that can’t defend themselves against it.” Yeosang said finally with a sigh, before he could act. “Nonetheless, it’s a good opportunity to have some way to trap Mist like that and I hate being in debt, so if you’d still have a use for me without involving direct hits to that villain I would be willing to strike a deal.”

Yunho’s face that had since became a pout directly at his own self pushed up into a smile once again, clearly excited by this development.

“But with one condition.” The other was quick to cut off before he got too hyped up. “I don’t want anyone to know I have this power. If The Hunter doesn’t know already then don’t tell him my identity.”

“He doesn’t and I won’t tell, don’t worry.” Yunho replied quickly practically bouncing off his seat.

“Also I’ll follow along with whatever you need me to do, but regarding Mist I plan to keep doing my own thing so don’t expect to just take over my target. ” Yeosang continued laying down his boundaries. Yunho made a face at that, quickly covering it up but it didn’t went unnoticed by him. ”Is that gonna be a problem?”

“No, no I’ll be sure to tell him that. He’s just… naggy I guess? My friend is the type to take teaming up seriously, so I can imagine he’d be pretty opinionated and he’ll probably want to make sure your not doing anything too risky for yourself. Without his help at least. And he’s a very good strategist, so I’d listen to his nagging once in a while.” Yunho trailed off imagining how Hongjoong would feel about that. 

“But overall I think you two are gonna get along well, I wouldn’t be too worried.” He ended dismissively.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Yeosang said sighing again. He looked at his watch “We can have a try out period. See if pairing up actually changes anything. Now I need to go back, my break has been over for fifteen minutes already.”

“Deal.” Yunho proclaimed as he reached out for a napkin to scribble on. They’ve been talking for almost an hour already and he still felt like the amount of things he wanted to clear up weren’t half sated, but they manage to cover the basics and for that he was happy.

“Here’s my number. I don’t know how long the charm I gave you will last with your type of power, so I probably should check up on it around a week from now if you use it regularly.” Yunho said hurriedly as the other got up.

Yeosang took the paper with a final nod before going back towards the cafe’s staff door. Yunho’s drink had been finished for a while now, tiny coffee grains sticking to the end of his cup that swirled around as he shook it. 

He hoped that this ‘alliance’ would work out. That they wouldn’t get hurt playing around with something they didn’t understand and that it would all end soon so they could just be normal college students living normal lives, where finals was their biggest problems and he was the only one having to worry about powers’ side effects again. 

✧

The Hunter wasn’t too pleased with not knowing his new partner identity, but with Yunho’s vow of approval and the fact that they had virtually the same goal appeased his worries for the time being. 

He did not waste time in bringing about a matching costume for the mysterious hero, very different from his own style-wise, but enough of the same in essence to be recognized as an uniform. 

The hero claimed that sending a clear message that they had each other to rely on now was safer and since the psych agreed he didn’t point out how much of an excuse to sew a second piece in this costume collection this was.

The dark costume passed by Yunho hands, the puppy-like boy very excited to work on its gadgets with a sparkled curiosity over what he could do that enhanced or complimented the other’s powers. 

When the stylist handed it out asking for his blessing on it, Yunho didn’t mention that he shouldn’t “bless” it or else it’d be counterproductive. It was definitely interesting for him to have another person with powers around, having to think on how to circumvent his own power at times and yet make it useful on others.

The younger seemed to not be affected by The Cardinal’s voice for some reason they needed to look into late which left only the invisible guy as a hindrance to him. He also wanted to test so many things about his own powers practically and not over the items he created, yet he knew better than be pushy with the other boy, still sensitive and scared of his own self.

The gloves turned out to be the right thing to gift him, although redundant with the star around his wrist he still wore them. Whether it was because he didn’t trust the charm, was scared it would run out or just felt uncomfortable without them after so long the psych wasn’t sure, but he seemed to cherish it and it did work better than his last pair of gloves.

He later learned the original ones were lined with gold and now he was glad to have put so much work into the inside lining of the gifted ones. He wasn’t sure of the other’s power then but understood enough to know it was necessary, making it with lasting material that would last longer but not practical enough for any of his other projects by the amount of effort and energy that went into it.

While he kept everyone’s identities a secret, it didn’t stop Hongjoong and Yeosang to meet naturally in their daily lives. They went to that coffee shop often before the new employee showed up and it was just Yunho’s luck that he had gotten a few times alone with him before his friend was back to tag along.

Hongjoong might’ve not known the shy boy’s secret or anything about him truly, nonetheless it didn’t take him more than a few interactions to all but adopt him just like he did with Yunho almost a whole year before. 

The boy just stroke his protective side, a side Yunho noticed came out often around his few close friends and he couldn’t contest it as the same sentiment seemed to have awakened in him when it came to Yeosang. 

If his best friend actually knew that the other was actually the latest addition to his small team he might’ve weeped in pride with how close their justice speeches were similar, regardless of their contrasting views.


	7. Intro: Long Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was one of these times a couple of months ago that unpredictably got San sucked into all that monumental snowball of a mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual not really happy with it, but finally San is here! Everyone that is waiting for Jongho is gonna lowkey get mad. I feel like I wrote and re wrote this one and the next chapter so many times that I'm doubting the coherency of everything at this point.

San came to believe he had to be given that power for a reason. Even if his power allowed it, it was simply not possible for any person have so many “close calls” in such a short lifetime like he had. He had died in almost all incidental ways possible. 

Be it traffic accidents, drowning, falling from a ridiculous tall height, you name it. He experienced it at all, none willingly and either his power was a way for natural selection to give his dumbass the benefit of the doubt or it just came with really bad luck as a side effect. 

Sometimes he just wanted to give up, but he had literally no choice but to continue living on and so he tried to make the best of it.

⚘

San often came to take a breather on his apartment fire escape. The view off of it was one of those stereotypical back alleys you’d often see multiplied by a thousand through the concrete jungle that he lived in. 

Whether the air really was fresher than inside or if he could even properly see the sky from there was debatable, but the feeling of cold air hitting his skin cooled him down when he just needed a break. It numbed down his thoughts for a quiet second.

It was one of these times a couple of months ago that unpredictably got him sucked into all that monumental snowball of a mess.

His apartment building was placed across a high school, and it was common for their students to sneak into the alleway after class to indulge in illicit behavior like smoking and such. 

That day seemed like bullies had some kid cornered, about to beat his ass.

San never really bothered to intervene with whatever they were doing, it wasn’t any of his business, but this time it seemed more serious than the usual punk stealing your lunch money. 

A gang of about half a dozen circled the young looking kid, some of them held makeshift weapons like a baseball bat or a piece of wood found on the trashy floor.

He pulled his phone out to call the police, already having a feeling that this would end badly even before the voices grew louder soon reaching a breaking point in their discussion. 

Then finally came the first attack. The kid managed to dodge and fight back the first assailant surprisingly well, way stronger than he seemed. He held his ground for a good amount of time before their leader grew tired of playing fair and called out for the rest to back him up. 

No matter how much of a good fighter the kid was, he couldn’t take all of them on at once. Finally his call was picked up. San spoke fast rushing the attendant and soon the police were on their way. 

The pained cries coming from downstair were getting pitiful, signaling the younger’s loss even though San couldn’t bring himself to look at it with his own eyes. 

He sat there speculating whether or not throwing his potted plant down there would be a good idea, to see if it scared them off or something, when suddenly the yells weren’t from just one person anymore.

Confused, he finally brought himself to take a peek, not really expecting to see what he saw next. 

Some of them were on the floor oddly clutching their necks as if fighting off something strangling them. The metal bat one of them had was crumbled like a piece of paper and he had no idea what could have caused that. The kid was still curled up on the floor, the remaining bullies frozen in place and San wondered why they had stopped.

Upon closer inspection he understood though, finally noticing the missing puzzle piece. Around them objects floated, all kinds of rubbish you’d find thrown around. San noticed the structure he was sitting in was trembling, a soft vibration that his worried and adrenaline filled brain hadn’t caught till now.

The kid made a move to sit up from his current curled up position and the attackers scattered in fear, a couple of them still making the effort to try and drag some of their fallen comrades away but mostly each one for themselves. 

The younger looked up with a bloodied face, footprints and small rips all over his uniform, and by a pure casualty of destiny their eyes met, both widening at being found out by the other.

They stayed petrified there for a moment. Sirens suddenly rang loud, breaking their trance and the kid bolted without hesitance realising quickly the red and blue lights were headed there.

At that time San couldn’t imagine how this fateful meeting would escalate. He only pitied the boy, almost wishing he hadn’t had that power to defend himself, knowing it could only bring greater pain.

⚘

Immortality was supposed to be a positive thing, after all humanity lusted over it for centuries. But San saw no advantage to it, if anything it was a curse and he didn’t measure words to remind himself of such when he looked at himself on the mirror.

Nothing good will come from it, only pain and how he knew it. 

Maybe it would be different if he wasn’t the only one, if it wasn’t something  _ rare _ . 

If everyone was like him then that would be the norm, he wouldn’t be different, he wouldn’t be a  _ study case _ . He didn’t like this isolating feeling, like he was an endangered animal that should be studied or hunted down.

Hiding a power like his wasn’t hard, if you knew it had to be hidden. But of course no one was ever expecting something like that. No one noticed how fast he healed as he grew up, how he would come out unscathered of situations he shouldn’t have, because kids give parents that kinda scare all the time.

You take your eyes off them for a second and suddenly the stroller is tipping, then they are almost swallowing a tiny toy, later they run off to cross the street at the wrong time and you have to pull them back or whatever, is normal.

So when his parents finally presenciated something more serious of course they freaked out. Of course the paramedics freaked out seeing him come back to life and his wounds regenerating in the ambulance. Of course they just needed to look more into it. He didn’t even knew that  _ that _ wasn’t normal.

He was a problematic child, his high school years weren’t going all that well, filled with that teenage angst that just makes you feel like sleeping one day and not waking up ever again. And when he tried to do just that he wished it worked. He wished it ended there. 

But it continued. One look at his records and done, hospitalized against his will. His days there luckily didn’t last long, but it set the tone for the rest of his living years. 

The first few days were uneventful, consisting of him adapting to the boring routine and he was conformed to spending the rest of his youth inside the bland hospital environment hoping that being constantly sedated helped time pass faster. 

But the rumors spread around, of his escape from death. Even as he denied any of the nurses questions regarding the incident, the doctors only got curious to the point of coming in and checking. 

It started innocently, his naivety not letting him think much of it, a prick to the finger, escalating to a cut to his palm till one day it wasn’t just that anymore.

“There’s no denying it after that.” He remembered the white clad man telling his colleague, even as his vision doubled full of dark spots and his mind hazed. 

He had been donating blood for a while when he caught the dialogue at the back of the room. A long while. He hadn’t thought about it at first, thinking of it as normal when they called him in. 

By then though, it had been a couple of days since he was strapped there for sure and in the back of his mind he questioned if he even agreed to it in the first place. He wished he noticed how off the whole situation was sooner, the meds making him process everything so painfully slow, but even if he did it would only become worse for him.

He kept falling in and out of consciousness and probably experienced death by blood loss a few of those times, but he couldn’t even discern it too dizzy and weak to even feel hunger or thirst when he was awake. 

“You know, he’s not the first one we had and those suits always come for them after some time. I’m sure he can fetch a nice price if we call them ourselves this time around.” A second voice commented and at that moment San understood two essential facts.

One was that experimenting on something that doesn’t die would be a thrill for those scientists. If you threw morality off the window, possibilities were endless on how they could use him. 

They could harvest all his organs a few thousand times over, could get all kind of living samples that were impossible before, experiment as they wish because no matter how many times they fucked up he’ll reset himself right back for them to try again.

How he did that would be the biggest question and he doubted they’d reach a conclusion easily. He for the first time realised he probably wasn’t human at all to their eyes and he hated it.

And two was that if he stayed to meet whoever had interest in collecting people like him, it wouldn’t end well for him. He was from that point on running out of time, each second closer to being captured by even worse people. 

He was brought back to his room not long after the doctors decided on their course of action. They didn’t bother to feed him again, but the pills kept coming. For a few days he could only observe, trying to gather his strength despite the circumstances. He planned out his escape meticulously tracing his path through the maze of hallways in his mind, just waiting for a breach.

It finally came. They left the door unlocked, one little mistake was enough and he was out of there. He hitchhiked to his grandparents house, showing up at their front door desperate and god bless the old couple took him in, treated him well,  _ hid _ him well. He went back to having a normal teenager life after some time, only now he knew he had to be careful. Knew that there were people hunting for powers like his out there.

⚘

The next time he saw the kid, things weren’t looking good for him yet again. San woke up to a commotion on his street. You’d expect whatever brought him out of bed to be loud, but it was actually the silence that tipped him off. 

An eerily silence had settled as he opened his eyes lazily that morning, a jarring contrast from the busy avenue that normally roared with nonstop traffic that early. 

Not even the usual intrusive sounds of pigeons and vultures on the alley bellow were there, giving him a bad feeling as he went over to a window to take a look.

Black vehicules surrounded the school, guards standing like statues at the gates. The whole street seemed to be closed off. Not good, not good at all.

San knew he should probably stay away from it, maybe leave his apartment for the day and sleepover at a friend’s house, but the thought of that kid strained his heart. They were there for him. He couldn’t be sure, but he just knew it.

He stayed in that day, ditching his morning classes just to see what happened. He didn’t have the guts to do anything about it, there wasn’t anything he could do to start with. Yet he didn’t want to look away and pretend that that kid never existed. 

It was more for himself than anything else since he didn’t really know that student, just ignoring whatever was happening to him left a bad taste in his mouth.

Through the whole morning and a bit into the afternoon nothing happened, San taking the time to work on essays that had piled up to distract himself.

Then out of nowhere he saw the boy. He would’ve missed if he wasn’t paying attention for a second, a stray silhouette climbing out through a window on the far back at the side of the school building into a one way alley. 

It would be a relief to know that the boy was both aware of the danger he was in and also escaping, if not for the fact that San had seen a guard go through the front of the alley a thousand times already throughout the day. The boy would walk straight into the men doing rounds.

The older jumped from his seat at his desk, grabbing his coat and keys quickly off the table to run downstairs. He had no business meddling with this, in fact this was the dumbest most dangerous thing he could do right now, yet he didn’t stop to think properly about it. He just ran.

He didn’t waste time on trying to call an elevator, knowing the damn old thing was too damn slow. He went down the stairs skipping steps to the point of almost slipping and rolling through it. 

Reaching the deserted lobby he stopped right in front of the door, allowing himself to catch his breath and think for a second. What was he going to do? A plan.  _ He needed a plan _ , he thought out of breath adjusting his coat mindlessly. 

He decided to try and distract the guard, that should be the safest route, but after going through the door he soon realized that wouldn’t be enough anymore as the older man now held the kid by the wrist.

“Hey!” He yelled out from across the street, running to reach them.

That gave the kid the breach he needed, pulling himself forward and making the guard tumble aside. He bolted ahead not looking behind at the mess he’d leave. San feared for a second the cop would turn his attention to him, but the old man that recovered almost immediately didn’t even spare him a glance now focused on chasing after the kid. 

San didn’t give himself time to hesitate as he took off after them as well. The three of them ran at full speed for what felt like ages, none of them willing to give up and the college student took solace in the fact that at the very least neither of the two seemed to notice him tailing them, meaning less danger for him in the end. 

The two crossed the street a step ahead leaving San behind to halt at the last minute to not get hit by a car. The last thing he needed was to get into an accident right then. When he caught up the scene from before was happening again, but now the kid struggled much more in the man’s tight grasp. 

A fight was starting to break out, only urging him more to come and stop it. He once again wasn’t expecting the boy to be so strong though. He approached the commotion preparing himself to get in the middle of them, but he doesn’t even get a chance as the guard gets aggressively pushed against him making them both fall back. 

The guard falls down to the sidewalk’s floor, San is not so lucky. His body flied towards the busy avenue and to his luck a goddamn truck is speeding through it at that exact time ready to strike him mercilessly. 

From them on it was blurred since he was busy getting his bones crushed. It all happened really fast. He was finally on a roll with being safe this last year, so the pain was definitely freshly painful, yet not enough to knock his very pain tolerant ass out unfortunately. 

That kid better have made good use of his noble sacrifice, he thought. Sarcasm was the best coping mechanism when you’re going through traumatizing pain so often. 

When he realized what happened he was already laying on the pavement. The bus driver reacted quick and stopped the bus resulting in San being stuck under it inbetween metallic machinery. 

He would’ve been on the brink of death if it wasn’t for his power, yet he didn’t blame the boy for it. It was much better that it was  _ him _ getting hurt than the kid or someone that couldn’t actually survive it.

“San?” He heard the voice before he saw the person, feeling too light head to process the sound.

“Hey” He said slowly trying to recognize the person through his double vision. “Seonghwa?” 

Great, amazing, someone he knew was there to witness this. His head lolled back onto the ground knowing this would take a while. Something caught his eye in the distance. 

It was the kid far away at a corner past the forming crowd. He looked scared, horrified at the situation. San wanted to curse at him to not stop and stare, to just keep running and forget about this, just chuck it as collateral damage.

The pressure on top of him let out as the bus shaked noisily, the metal all around him crumpled inwards and away from him. 

Finally he could heal without something flattening his insides. The kid quickly ran away and San’s annoyance disappeared. He risked staying back and helping him out. He was a good kid and San didn’t regret helping him.

Now he had to help himself though, he could already feel the bottom part of his body regenerating and if he didn’t get away  _ fast  _ people would start to notice him.

  
  


⚘

Seonghwa had seen him. Not only that, he  _ noticed _ it. San tried his best playing dumb and that usually worked. No one would believe him anyway, so there was no point in insisting which made that strategy always work so well.

However it didn’t seem to be the case this time as the medical student stood at his door. He just woke up from a long nap to answer the knocking and he regretted it, he should’ve pretended he wasn’t home. He could be embracing Wooyoung right now instead of dealing with this, his sleep hazed brain thought bitterly.

San was about to use the dancer as an excuse to send him away when the other walked past them, going out and muttering a rushed goodbye. There was something going on with him that worried San, but he couldn’t dodge his hyung to go after him right then.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted something. May I come in?” Seonghwa asked, seeming as troubled as him.

“Sure.” San walked back in, the other closing the door behind them. He leaned against the back of the couch as Seonghwa pulled out the chair from his desk. “So what do you want?”

“Actually I think you know it already.” The older said.

“Not really.” San replied, eyes cast down.

“About the last time we’ve met. You’ve been avoiding me ever since.” Seonghwa tried.

Maybe it would’ve been better if he didn’t try to avoid him. San noted that for next time he got caught.

“Look, I know what I saw. You know you can trust me, you don’t need to hide it fro-” The older continued.

“I’m not hiding anything.” He answered a bit too fast.

“Look I can help you I just need you to be honest and te-” Seonghwa tried again, but San didn’t hesitate in cutting him again.

Seonghwa was like a mom for his closer circle of friends. He made sure they ate when they stayed overnight studying at the library, helped them with their makeup before an important date, always had sound advice and stopped them from doing regrettable dumb stuff. Even Wooyoung that never officially met him sober benefitted from his car rides and hangover cures.

He was the voice of reason when none of them had any and it was clear to anyone that he cared for them deeply even if he was overprotective or exaggerated sometimes. 

That’s why it this was so hard for San. Because he knew he couldn’t go easy on him, not if he really wanted to get Seonghwa off his back. The other wouldn’t stop trying to help him as long as he cared that much for him.

And he couldn’t say anything. This type of stuff you just don’t tell anyone if you want to live a normal life, he knew that all too well.

“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t need your help. If it wasn’t for Mingi we wouldn’t even hang out, you really need to stop butting in on my life like we are so close.” San snapped harshly, regretting the words even before he finished saying them.

He expected the older to look more hurt or outraged, but he simply just sighed with a tired expression not surprised, but definitely disappointed.

“I get it, don’t tell me then. I’m here for you though, okay? You don’t need to avoid me and you can always reach out when you want to. I’ll be waiting.”

You’ll die waiting then, cuz I’m never telling a soul, San thought sarcastically. Nonetheless his words fell heavy on his chest. Seonghwa really was too kind, to insist so much and not be discouraged by him lashing out.

After a moment of heavy silence Seonghwa let himself out. San headed to the shower, feeling dirty and wanting to get everything off his head before heading out to class.

⚘ ⇀ ✩

San’s power was a rare one and it was useful, filled with potential, but it brought too many risks to the user and it scared Seonghwa. A power like that needed to be protected. It was a wonder that San managed to live by so many years without getting caught, clearly the reason why was because the younger was so secretive about it. 

Seonghwa wasn’t hurt by his words, in fact he was glad because that was the right thing for San to do for himself. However he didn’t need to do this alone and the older doubted it was even possible to continue flying under the radar with a power like that. 

Eden could help him and give him the support he needed. Everything would be easier if he could reveal his own power, but now that he was supposed to be this evil villain it became so much more complicated. He almost regretted it. Almost.

After that things got a bit awkward for them, San seemed uncomfortable to stay around him for too long always giving him short answers and fidgeting anxiously. He wondered if they younger already had bad experiences linked to the subject in the past.

It was a harsh contrast to his usual bubbly self and he hoped he could mend this someway or another, if only San stopped running away and let him in. Almost as if on cue he spots the other through the window of the family dinner he was in. Seeing him San changed paths trying to discreetly go the other way, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“So I’m guessing it didn’t go well with him?” Mingi asked across from him on the table.

Seonghwa only huffed annoyed swatting away the other’s hand as he tried to steal some of his fries. The older was too tired from double anatomy class to deal with this.

“Look, it’s what I told you before, you’re too pushy sometimes. You can’t just corner him, you know.” Mingi went on sipping on  _ his  _ milkshake.

“You do it then. And start buying your own food!” He snapped snagging the cup back.

“So petty!” Mingi laughed. “I can try talking to him, but I’m guessing I’ll need to reveal myself or else he won’t budge.”

“You can do that, I can’t.” The older replied still bitter.

“Should we contact Eden? Just in case?” Mingi asked more seriously.

“I’ll write it on my next report. There’s too many of us gathering, it’s gonna start bringing in too much attention. The bad kind. I don’t want anyone to become collateral damage.” Seonghwa answered sorrowful.

“Yeah…” The taller answered eyes down.

A moment passed both sulking for different reasons.

“Ugh, have at it.” Seonghwa rolled his eyes passing Mingi the fries. The other beamed starting to stuff his face.

“It was totally not that that I was bummed about. Really!” Mingi exclaimed grabbing the milkshake back as well.

“Yeah, sure.” Seonghwa was definitely not convinced.


	8. Lonely Christmas by MX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That year’s Christmas Eve Yeosang opened his door to find a huge overgrown puppy. It may have been mid afternoon already, but he had just woken up and the energy levels were already way too high. His hazy mind considered closing the door on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double update as a holiday gift!  
So this chapter is totally a christmas special, but if it feels unnecessary or boring just know that I’ve planted lots of seeds so is not just flare, it’s gonna pay off later.  
That being said I think it came out decent? It’s my first work so I’m still feeling out what I’m good at and all that, I’m kinda reaching the conclusion that romance isn’t my specialty and I’m probably more of a full on angst type of author, but at least your girl is out here trying okay, so let’s all pretend the seongjoong parts in this chapter are actually good.

The city was crowded for the holiday and Hongjoong struggled to walk through the passing couples and families scattered around the boulevard. The shallow snow descending lazily from the sky obstructed his view and he was starting to get annoyed at the prickling wet feeling when he finally spotted Seonghwa in the distance.

The older was looking up at the clouds, face illuminated by the dim sunlight and his breath visible as he sighed. The shorter fawned over the simple sight of the other’s complexion adorned by the floating white specks, one suddenly hitted the tip of his nose making him scrunch up and shake his head like a cat before pulling up his seasonally appropriate red scarf up for more protection.

“Are you you gonna come here and greet me or do you rather just keep laughing at me?” Seonghwa called out with an eyebrow raised and a soft blush spreading through his cheeks.

Hongjoong had been so busy melting over the sight that he didn’t even notice his own giggles or that he had been spotted as well. With a smile he walked the few meters of distance left between them.

“I’m sorry, you just looked so cute.” He replied playfully raising his hand to lightly pinch one of the older’s cheek, only chuckingly more at his pout. He offered his hand, taking this excuse to get closer. “Shall we go have a look around?”

Seonghwa took his hand with a shy smile of his own, his leather glove grasping onto the hero’s wool one and as a fleeting thought he almost wished it wasn’t so cold, contradicting his early mental praise to how well the snow complemented the other’s beauty, just so that he could feel the other’s heat instead of the thick cloth separating them, a slight pout forming on his own face as he started pulling them towards the lights ahead. 

It was Christmas Eve and after both being busy through finals and texting nonstop for a few weeks they decided to spend the festivities together, meeting up at the themed fair. The two of them walked around the stalls decorated with the seasoned lights that although early in the day still stood out brightly warming the damp greyish atmosphere.

The crowd thickened the deeper they entered the maze of stores and they soon were squished against each other as they looked through what the sellers had to offer with curious eyes. 

For the start of it was mostly jewelry or clothes and as much of a fashion sense Seonghwa had, he’d rather step aside to watch the hero scavenger through it, beaming when he found an odd treasure and listening to his excited comments of what he could transform certain items into.

They eventually reached a new patch of stalls, organic honey, medicinal herbs and homemade jams on display. The older bought a few items, propolis cough drops for his roommate and special blends of tea that Hongjoong never heard of making the other insist they should sit down together to have him try them one day. 

At the end of that section a bigger tent caught the hero's attention as he ran ahead to look at it, the older close behind. A mini flower shop resided inside, an assortment of fragrances and colors contrasting with the red and green background decorations.

They skimmed through them, the sight mesmerizing in it's variety and abundance, the flowers placed on rising steps all the way from the floor to the shorter's height. Some easy to recognize classics, others that they’d never seen before. Hongjoong came up to one that peaked his interest, crouching down to look at it better.

“Do you like these?” Seonghwa asked noticing the other’s fond gaze.

“Aren’t they pretty?” Hongjoong replied back looking up with a smile.

“Sword lilies, rare to come by on winter.” The guy behind the counter commented putting down the magazine he had been reading.

“Are there any you like?” The shorter asked standing up. His date looked around for a moment, scavenging with his eyes for any that stood out to him.

“These ones look nice.” He answered looking at a row of flowers settled a few steps up.

“Snapdragon, both lovely garden flowers, would you like me to prepare a bouquet?” The attendant offered straightening up on his sit.

“Ah, no it’s okay, thank you.” Hongjoong rushed to decline.

☀ ⇀ ❖

That year’s Christmas Eve Yeosang opened his door to find a huge overgrown puppy. It may have been mid afternoon already, but he had just woken up and the energy levels were already way too high. His hazy mind considered closing the door.

“I brought sweets!” Yunho stood there with a beaming smile and a big pink paper box on his hands, a duffel bag sagging over his shoulder.

His hazy mind abided to the peace offer, giving up on shutting the door on the puppy’s face for the promise of sugar. He stepped aside to let the other in, taking the box from his hands and walking towards the kitchen counter.

Yunho waited at the entrance dumbfoundedly admiring the apartment, yards bigger than his shared college dorm room. A studio with a wide living room, an open kitchen to one side and a wall of tall windows to the other. 

Well lit, well furnished and clean yet what striked Yunho the most was the emptiness. Compared to Hongjoong’s wall of posters and misplaced trinkets and his own array of mementos and messy papers, it almost seemed like no one lived there, as if he had entered an interior design catalogue. No festive decorations either.

“Did you just move in?” He asked unceremoniously.

“Not really, it’s been almost a year already.” Yeosang answered, as he opened the box to peek inside. “You can just leave your things on the table and sit on the couch.”

“Mhm” The older hummed as he made his way to the glass dining table, tastefully decorated with a vase of fake red flowers contrasting with the whites and greys. Yunho couldn’t picture the younger picking those himself.

To the side of the vase a picture frame rested slightly out of place, facing the only chair at that side of the table.

“Is this your brother?” Yunho asked grasping the golden metal frame in his hands.

“Not really, a childhood friend. We were really close till the whole power thing happened.” Yeosang answered walking up behind him. He handed the older a mug filled with tea like the good host he was and grabbed the frame from his hands looking at it briefly himself before placing it back on its place.

“You look awful.” The older commented looking down at him as he brought the mug to his mouth, sweater paws wrapping around it seeking heat after coming from the cold outside. 

“I just woke up.” The shorter replied flatly, not pleased to have his bare face, bed hair and beaten up oversized hoodie pointed out. 

“Did you forget I was coming?” Yunho taunted with a smirk, seeing through him.

“No, I just have the worst sleeping schedule.” He actually did forget both of their plans and the holiday, but he doubted he’d wake up earlier even if he didn’t. “Anything else?”

The older snorted at the attitude as Yeosang headed for an armchair.

“I brought the titles you asked for.” The older said, resting the mug to look for his pen drive inside the bag.

“Nice.” He replied still not too awake. Yunho made his way to sit on the couch, his mug being set on the coffee table now.

“I assume Hongjoong must’ve had had other plans if you’re all the way out here about to waste Christmas marathoning anime with me.” Yeosang commented after a few moments of awkward silence.

“He’s out on a date.” He answered not meaning to sound as crestfallen as he did.

“Cute. Not feeling like going back home either?” The younger prodded a bit more.

“It’s just too far and too expensive for such a short break, I guess.” The taller said laying down onto the couch looking at the ceiling. “I’ve always looked forward to Christmas Eve because every year my family has a night out, but now that I’m not there it just means I don’t get to talk to them until tomorrow.”

A beat passed in silence, Yeosang didn’t really know what to say to that. Comforting others wasn’t really his fort.

“I mean I called them this morning already. It’s just my first Christmas away from home, so I guess I’m a bit sappy.” The older continued, trying to downplay it as he sensed the mood going down. “And you? How does your family usually spend Christmas?”

“Knowing my parents they must be at some big party or end of the year event, I’m just happy I’m not forced to tag along this year.” He replied nonchalantly, not much emotion in his voice and Yunho was the one not really knowing how to react to the younger’s lack of seasonal family spirit.

“I’m gonna order some food since I didn’t have lunch yet and then we can start. Do you want something?” Yeosang moved on, seeing that the talk was not going anywhere good. The last thing either of them wanted to do on Christmas was talk about how sad they were about it.

❖ ⇀ ⚘

San had gone on a stroll through the park near his house. His Christmas Eve was one to be spent alone this year and he wouldn’t have any problem with that if his head wasn’t so filled with thoughts. Thoughts of his past, of his childhood and of the kid that he had seen about to go through the same.

The park was deserted and he could see why. The temperature was freezing and at that area the snow was ruthless, already having covered the whole place white, but he felt that the cold did him good. It was grounding when he felt lost in his head.

He wondered what that kid was doing.

He felt bad, but that just seemed to be how life was. You are born, you go to school, school sucks, you get powers, school sucks worse and then you just run and hide for the rest of it. He didn’t want to keep thinking about it, but it kept bugging him. 

Did he have someone to turn to? Was he out there hiding alone in this snow? Or had he been caught already? The fact that the last option was the most likely was depressing, but if that was the case he should just forget about it and move on. There was nothing he could do.

He eventually came to sit on a bench. It was cold and wet and he was thankful to the plastic material of his coat for protecting him from getting his pants and back soaked. He took out his phone to look at the time and his wallpaper glared back at him, a picture of his grandparents.

He planned on doing that later or on the next day, but it just tugged at his heartstrings looking at it.

“Sanie my boy! How are you?” He heard his grandma’s voice cheerfully greeting him as she picked up his call.

“I’m fine grandma, how are you?” He answered.

“Good good, you know how it is this time of year, so much cooking I can barely catch a break!” She answered sweetly, making him think fondly at the big meal and all the seasonal snack she would make even when it was just her and the old man that would sit down to eat.

He could really use some of his grandma’s baked cookies right now.

“And grandpa?” He asked.

“He’s out right now, I think he’s out to buy me a gift, can you believe it? He’s been so forgetful lately that he must’ve forgotten to buy it sooner, but don’t tell him I told you that or he’ll be embarrassed!” Hearing his grandma cheerfully laugh about his grampa’s antics was reassuring, it warmed him inside contrasting against the chill air that hit his face.

“Is everything okay, Sanie?” The old lady must’ve noticed the long silences and the heaviness in his voice.

“Yes, it’s all good grams don’t worry.” He answered with a sad smile and maybe just maybe his eyes teared up just a bit.

“You and Wooyoung-ya should come visit us again like you did last year.” His grandma picked at him, fond of his best friend just as much as of him.

“I’ll bring it up to him later, maybe next time. He’s back home for this one.” San answered with a chuckle.

“Ah, I see. His parents must be happy to have their child home. Such a shame to comeback on this weather though, the sea must be so cold right now.” She replied. 

He was endeared at how she even remembered that his friend was from the seaside.

“Are you still gonna meet your friends today? Or did they all go home too? You know if you had told us before we could’ve gotten you a ticket…”

“No no, I’m meeting them later.” He faked a smile even though she couldn’t see him, vaguely lying. “Just thought I’d call beforehand in case I get home too late.”

“If you say so, have fun just be careful! I know you’re a big boy now, but staying out too late is still dangerous, okay?” The old lady warned.

“Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry it’ll be okay. I love you, grandma.” He said.

“I love you too, Sanie.” She answered back as comforting as always.

⚘ ⇀ ✧

Yunho was a touchy feely guy, he just was. When people felt comfortable then by default he did too and small gestures like that just did wonders in that sense so it came to be his second nature.

Yeosang was frightened of it, understandably, and the big puppy just kept forgetting. Yunho couldn’t see the younger’s aura or his true feelings anymore which threw him off quite a bit considering how he didn’t let out any visible signs for him to pick up on, at least not yet.

However exposure therapy seemed to be working wonders for Yeosang. In fact as the day progressed the younger seemed to grow more and more comfortable with it, no longer getting so surprised as Yunho got excited with the screen and clung to his arm or pinched his cheek jokingly.

When the other got past the initial frightened reaction it evolved into going stiff. But as Yunho laid his head on his lap later in the day, he could only guess Yeosang was actually very fond of skinship.

Every time Yunho moved and the other went stiff he thought it was just him being uncomfortable, but whenever he got up or distanced himself the other looked slightly bummed and then every time Yeosang had to get up to pick up something he’d come back and sit as if waiting Yunho to come back, but not really knowing how to ask or prompt him. 

He would even take a wild guess and say the boy was touch starved after so long without touching a human being, which was a great problem to have around him since that was right up his alley. 

He couldn’t fix everything, but he could shower this boy with love easily, he thought as he looked at him from his spot on his lap, the bottom half of his legs dangling lazily off the small couch.

Their picked series continued playing incessantly the whole day. It was one that Yeosang had first mentioned and Yunho was skeptical if it was his cup of tea, but now he was easily getting into it. It was fun to have something to talk about and bond over that distracted them, thankfully it wasn’t as awkward as he predicted when he called Yeosang to ask about holiday plans.

  
  


✧ ⇀ ☀

The couple had move on to a stall of little trinkets like decorations, charms, keychains and the likes. The ones that sparked Hongjoong’s interest weren’t too Christmas-y at all, a row of dainty little statues of animals. The front row being house pets had him directing his gaze to the golden retriever that made Yunho instantly jump to his memory. 

He felt a little guilt for a second, to not be with him on Christmas when his friendship with him had been going on for much longer than whatever he had going with Seonghwa. He had been the verge of calling it off a week before, but his dear friend seemed to sense his discomfort and had come up with plans for himself at the last minute, so here he was. 

He was thankful in a way, he wouldn’t have worked up the courage to call the older for this encounter if it wasn’t for him either.

A black cat sat next to the dog, and the hero thought of their new friend. Unlike Yunho Hongjoong hadn’t spent as much time with the younger boy. He was much busier than the two first years and so their encounters quarantined only to the times he went to the coffee shop. 

The other was also quiet and reserved, giving the older a hard time for them to really connect, but he was fond enough of him to pick up the tiny statuette together with the first one in hopes that the three of them would all grow closer with time.

“Are you gonna buy those?” Seonghwa asked from behind him.

“Presents, for my friends.” He answered looking back.

“Aren’t you going to get one for yourself? That way you all can have matching ones.” The older suggested looking over his shoulder at the trinkets.

“Hmmm… Which one should I get then?” Hongjoong asked appreciating the suggestion, but unsure of which one to pick.

“How about this one?” Seonghwa suggests pulling one from a few row back.

“A fox?” He asked caught by surprise.

“It reminds me of you.” The older answered with a smile.

Was that supposed to be a compliment? Hongjoong didn’t see where the connection the other made came from, but he brought the third piece to the tiny basket he held as well.

“Are you getting anything?” He turned back to ask, now facing him.

“A lucky charm for my roommate, for good health.” Seonghwa replied showing a golden card, the type you’d put on your wallet, an image of some deity engraved masterfully into it. He pointed to the tabletop that he had gotten it, half filled with similar ones and another half filled with an assortment of other type of charms. 

The two stood there as the hero looked through it himself, his back brushing against the other as he placed himself between the shorter and the crowd that filled the busy shop once again. 

Hongjoong’s fingers brushed against a little package on the last row before he stopped himself. In it came two matching charms with straps to put onto your phone. 

Clearly something a couple would buy. It catched the hero’s eyes, but thinking better about it, it might be too cute or too soon for them. The little bells foretelling luck in love didn’t match either of their styles anyway he thought, about to turn and drag them away.

“Do you want to get these ones?” Seonghwa asked, grabbing the package from behind him.

He did. “What do you think?” He asked cautiously.

“It’s cute.” The older answered with a reassuring smile. Hongjoong must have looked uneasy a second before because the other made sure to pat his head affectionately before heading to the cashier, as if to reassure him he was doing good and at that the hero could only stare at his back paralyzed as his heart filled with warmth. 

It was a simple gesture, but effective.

☀ ⇀ ❖

After binging a whole season, it was now late and they were deep into a movie, A Silent Voice, as a break from the series they had going on. Yunho held onto Yeosang like a support teddy bear to get through the emotional ride that was the movie, resting his head on the top of his hair while his arms wrapped loosely around his chest.

The younger’s eyes were getting watery as the movie reached its climax, tears threatening to spill, but Yunho seemed to break way easier than him.

“It’s so sad.” The older whined already hiccuping through sobs, and he could feel him shaking.

“You’re getting snot on my hair.” Yeosang pointed out flatly.

His comment caused Yunho to sniff the thickest sniff Yeosang had ever heard, and any emotion he was feeling got overwhelmed by how grossed out he was.

“I’m gonna get you some tissues.” He said trying to to get up, flailing a bit like a fish before Yunho took the hint to let go of him. The older paused the movie waiting for him, sitting up properly on the couch. 

“Here.” He handed the box of tissues, sitting farther than before giving him some space.

Yunho accepted it, going through a few before he took a moment to breath. He looked like a kicked puppy with red wet eyes and he wasn’t sure it was really solely about the movie. Yeosang didn’t know what to do about it. Of all people Yunho was acquainted with, he was sure he had to be the least prepared to deal with this.

“Do you need a hug?” Before he even finished the question the other had already latched onto him. Yunho held him tightly, Yeosang’s neck straining a bit to settle on the older’s shoulder with their height difference, his arms weighted uncomfortably to the sides limply not knowing what to do with them.

“We're friends, right?” Yunho asked without moving, voice heavy and hoarse sounding fragile.

“Mhm” the younger hummed in agreement.

“I’m here for you, okay?” He continued after a moment of silence. “Always.”

“Mhm” Yeosang hummed again.

They stayed there immobile and in silence for a few more second in the dark, only illuminated by the tv light.

“I’m here for you too.” Yeosang added, surprising himself. He raised his arms to embrace the other back, squeezing lightly still unsure if this was the right things to do.

He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, with the way he was raised and the way his powers started manifesting he hadn’t had a friend since a very early age and by now he had forgotten how having one or how truly caring for someone felt, so he himself couldn’t tell if he words rang true, if he really did cared so much for Yunho after knowing him for such a short time. But he felt _ something _ and he wanted to hold onto that, he didn’t want to continue feeling numb and scared anymore. 

Yunho squeezed him tight before moving away. The older held onto his shoulders, his thumbs brushing the sides of his neck cathartically for a moment looking at him before he took a deep breath and speaked up again. “Don’t tell anyone I spent christmas crying over anime.”

“You look gross.” Yeosang replied and the other let out a loud snort, making more snot drop out of his nose and Yeosang backed away instinctively again. “I’m gonna get a plastic bag, I don’t want your used tissues to pile up.”

“And in your defense, it’s a very respectable anime to cry for.” He added already heading to the kitchen.

“Yeah, even you cried, anyone would cry.” Yunho tried to play it off.

“I didn’t cry.” The younger answered flatly.

“You totally did.”

“I did not.” 

Yunho snorted as Yeosang continued to vehemently deny it. “Bring sweets, I need sugar to get through the rest of this.”

Yeosang plated some of the gingerbread cookies Yunho had brought to keep the holiday spirit, but also pulled out a tub of ice cream for real emotional support. It wasn’t his first time watching the movie and he knew they would need it.

❖ ⇀ ☾

Mingi was sitting by the window of family dinner close to their house waiting for his order to get ready. A pile of seasonal meals and desserts to take home and eat with his roommate only in the morning, because apparently everyone else’s busy but him.

He wondered what Yunho was doing since Hongjoong was out with Seonghwa. He scrolled through his social medias hoping to spot any update from him, but nothing. A picture of his roommate and the hero popped up on his feed, a picture perfect christmas card as both smiled surrounded by the snow, bright lights and the classic decoration of the fair.

The younger scolded at the picture, half bothered by his own loneliness and half at the fact that one of the people in this picture could only be headed toward a disastrous heartbreak.

And he was hoping it wasn’t his friend, but with him he just couldn’t tell as the oldest only noticed his own feelings too late. It was a pattern that Mingi was used to by now, the other’s confidence too blinding.

Before he could get lost in thought his phone buzzed signaling a new text.

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

hey

are you busy

have you heard anything from san

**7:27 p.m**

**you**

not really why

i havent seen san for a while

since him and seonghwa are kinda not talking rn

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

whos seonghwa

**7:27 p.m**

**you**

my roommate

you know the one that always come pick us up when we’re all too drunk to drive

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

ah

i think i saw him at his place the other day

i’m usually too drunk to actually care whenever i meet him

so i didn’t even recognise the dude

**7:28 p.m**

**you**

weren’t you going home for xmas

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

my train got cancelled cuz of the snow

**7:28 p.m**

**you**

well that sucks

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

yeah yeah i can go home some other day i dont have school like you losers

anyway

im free

and i asked san what he was doing and he said nothing special

he sounded sad so i’m storming his apartment and i need a ride

we can let you stay if you dont have anything else to do

**7:28 p.m**

**you**

yeah like i dont have anything better to do than drive your ass around on xmas eve

**7:27 p.m**

**woo**

do you

do you really mingi

**7:28 p.m**

**you**

no i dont please let me stay

i’ll be free in like ten minutes just give me time to go home and get the car

Right on cue his name was called, food ready by the counter. He grabbed it and left the place, ready for the cold walk home when a boy caught his eyes. The kid seemed young, around his age but with a baby face, but what caught his eyes was the fact that he was staring into the dinner so sadly out here in the snow.

His school uniform seemed dirty and, although he wasn’t sure, he was thinking the kid was homeless. Mingi’s Christmas wasn’t going ideally. He was everyone’s second plan, but whatever he had going on was definitely better than that kid.

The boy seemed to notice him staring after a while looking frightened. Mingi pulled one of the styrofoam boxes out of the paper bag he was carrying, glad that he had gotten so much extra food.

“Are you hungry?” He asked and the boy only nodded, taking the box he offered.

He continued on his way after that, thinking himself lucky for his new chore instead of annoyed from then on.

☾ ⇀ ✩

They had reached the end of the stalls, an open area filled with food trucks awaiting for them crowded with spaced out tables for them to sit down and admire what seemed to be the main attraction of the night.

A huge ferris wheel towered over the space, its lamps blinking beautifully over them in a warm light show. A live band stood to one side on a makeshift stage providing the dining visitors with soft christmas carols that echoed with the help of several speakers spread around.

The couple came to sit down on a random table to the side eager to rest their feet, dumping their shopping bags on the tabletop and taking a moment to breath. Hongjoong took their chance to rummage through his share of bags and Seonghwa only watched as he fished the little package they bought earlier from one of the bags.

“I just thought we should split it up before we forget it.” The hero muttered bashfully when he noticed the other eyes on him.

Seeing the fierce hero that so fearlessly jumped into fights with him every other night be so hesitant and timid was unbearably cute to him, the smiles spread through their date so endearing that Seonghwa half wanted to scold himself for enjoying it so much. 

Perhaps this was when it started, the crippling realization that he had no right to be on the receiving end of those vulnerable moments, yet at that stage he was still simply pushing the thought away, favouring enjoying the night with fake naivety unknowing to the snowball this could become.

“How about we start using it already? Would you attach it for me?” The older asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket and offering it to Hongjoong, enjoying his eager reaction.

“Do you want to eat first or go on the ferris wheel than eat later?” The hero asked as he entertained himself with removing the cases of their cellphones and knotting the straps.

The villain wasn’t too excited about that, in fact he was hoping the younger wouldn’t mention the ride, although he already knew that was unlikely.

“Are you hungry? I think I saw a truck selling pizza… Is everything okay?” Hongjoong trailed off, noticing the other uneasiness. The smile on his face hesitate, dimming slightly and Seonghwa scolded himself for letting his discomfort show so easily.

“I’m just…” He started reluctantly “Not very good with heights.”

“Ah, so going on a ride like that is probably not a good idea.” The other said crestfallen.

“It’s not that serious, I’ve been trying to get over it. Last week me and my roommate tried going hiking over a bridge and I survived. Annoyed the hell out of him, but still.” Seonghwa answered with a laugh. The other seemed to cheer up a bit at the comment.

“We can go.” The villain decided.

“If you say so, don’t feel pressured I’m really okay with not going.” Hongjoong answered apprehensive still.

“No it’s okay I wanna give it a try. I’d rather eat afterwards though, just in case.” He answered with a laugh.

Hongjoong let out a chuckled as he started organizing their things again. The line to the ride was long, but they didn’t mind as they were in no rush, just enjoying the company and small talk along the way. 

Seonghwa was sure he was doing a crappy job in hiding his anxiety, but fortunately the other had the sense not mention it. Their turn came way too soon despite the long wait, the ferris wheel thankfully had closed booths instead of those open seats and the villain tried to not hesitate when getting in, convincing himself it was fine.

The wheel stopped moving as they reached the top and the view really was wonderful up there, the stars shined brightly complementing the full moon that softly lit up the dark cabin. The city down there a pretty miniature covered in white, mesmerizing until he started seeing double and his throat tightened up.

“Don’t look outside. Here, look at me.” Hongjoong called out to him, softly turning his head towards him. Hongjoong looked up at him, patiently waiting for him to calm down.

“I’m not afraid.” Seonghwa spoke up after a moment of silence, sounding almost out of breath.

“Really?” The hero asked uncertain.

“No, but… sometimes I feel like the only way some things can come true is if I say them out loud.” He answered slowly, eyes avoiding his, embarrassed to explain it out loud. 

Surely it stemmed from his power, but for him words held power and the act of saying them out loud was what gave it to them. He always had to have courage to speak when he couldn’t control his power and now he used it as a way to give himself that courage back.

If only it worked. He half expected the other to laugh at the childish premise, if not to just brush it off. It probably didn’t make any sense. It was the fear talking or else he’d never tell anyone that.

“Then I’ll say it too.” The other said surprising him for a second with a ghost of a smile on his mouth. 

“You’re not afraid.” Hongjoong spoke looking into his eyes with conviction in his voice. The way he firmly held his gaze almost as if daring the villain to tell he’s wrong struck something inside him, feeling his chest tightening.

Seonghwa leaned down slowly as his hand came up to cup the hero’s cheek, their lips connecting into a barely there kiss and in that moment he couldn’t think of anything else beside that sensation, the softness of his skin, the warmth that build up in his chest and how he wished it could just stay like this forever.

Hongjoong reciprocated with a comforting and grounding contrast to the other’s gentleness and hesitance, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss with much more experience as the world around them seemed to stop existing for a few moments.

The cabin shook as it began to move again and the kiss was interrupted in favor of holding on to the railings. The villain took deep breaths, his head feeling light and he was unsure if it was from the kiss or from the reminder of the situation he was in, maybe a mixture of both, but soon they were back on the ground.

The villain was glad to have his feet touch the stable concrete ground again and it didn’t went by unnoticed how the hero grabbed onto his hand immediately once they had stepped out nor his glowing smile and he could only blush and follow along still not quite recovered from the surge of feelings the ride had given him.

Hongjoong, unlike his weakened self, was estasic and ready to continue on the night and that brought a smile to his face despite still feeling the dizzying sensation that he was floating.

✩ ⇀ ⚘

The lamp’s light was the only thing illuminating the room as the trio of friends sat there. The coffee table littered with empty bottles and crumpled napkins around an old monopoly board long forgotten before anyone even came closer to winning it.

Mingi on the armchair had clocked out already, curled up on himself having fallen into a deep slumber. San sat on the floor against the couch that Wooyoung laid on. He sipped on his drink, drunkenness only lightly reaching him. He could hold his alcohol the best out of the three friends, maybe because of his power or maybe that was just the way he was, he didn’t know. By the time it finally hit him he didn’t care anymore either.

He felt a hand on his hair, carding through it comfortably and after letting himself enjoy the touch for a few seconds before he looked up at the youngest of them. Their eyes met, a long moment of silence passing just staring at each other, both of them feeling drowsy from the drinks. Wooyoung moved down giving the other a kiss, sloppy and slightly misplaced from the odd angle. San kissed back enjoying the familiarity of it.

He turned around intending on climbing up onto the couch. Like many other times before he found himself straddling the younger, their bodies fitting perfectly against each other as he reached down to trail kisses all around Wooyoung’s neck. 

Sometimes when he was feeling lonely or just the slightest bit petty he’d be a bit more rough, sucking marks onto the other’s skin in hope that it’d last as a reminder to the other. That night was one of those times and he soaked up on the younger’s reactions eagerly, only getting more riled up by his whimpers and the constant sharp pull on his hair.

His hand went down to the other’s waist, fingers going under his shirt and brushing against his bare skin playfully before stilling and holding onto him. Wooyoung’s arms wrapped against his neck pulling him flush against his body and his face came up to kiss his lips once again.

The heat escalated fast, but as San’s hands started to drag down a rushed _ wait _was whispered. Looking back at the boy under him he saw the anxiety as he bit his lips, eyes hesitant. 

That too was familiar. The situation repeated itself often, both of them ready to give in and compromise till one of them suddenly didn’t, fearing the commitment of taking it a step further. 

Both of them had no shame and it was a recurring joke them hoeing around. But when it came to each other they never talked about _ them _, what they were, how they felt about what they had going on. Perhaps it was a fear of compromising such a precious relationship, but San knew better. Both of them knew that something like that wasn’t going to get between them even if it didn’t work out.

“Isn’t it a bit weird to do this with Mingi in the room?” The younger interjected.

The perfect excuse since San’s apartment was just one room, living room and bedroom mashed together with a communal kitchen downstairs. Moving onto his bed wouldn’t change anything.

“I don’t think he would mind.” San answered with a raised eyebrow.

The other didn’t seem convinced, so he sat back down on his lap with a sigh. His eyes flickered to a clock on a shelf indicating it was now past midnight.

“Merry Christmas, Wooyoungie.” He said with a grin.

“Is it time for my present now?” The other replied playfully. “You better have gotten me something good.”

“Here’s your present.” San answered with a mischievous tone before leaning down again, hugging the other while giving him lighthearted kisses from his cheeks to his ear, the other giggling while squirming in his grasp trying to avoid the loud noise his lips made.

Maybe it wasn’t tonight that they’d resolve themselves, but San was more than happy to settle for cuddling his Wooyoungie to sleep for now.

  
  



	9. Aurora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His touches and care made him feel loved and safe yet the gaze at the back of his neck made him feel vulnerable, ashamed and small.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one took longer to come out, but fear not I haven't disappeared I just lost the file after being 3/4 done and had to rewrite everything which was not fun, but I did it and is all good now. Not really as good as it originally was, but decent. I was on a biweekly pace before this setback, but now college will start again for me next week so probably I'll slow down just like this one. Hopefully I can get back to a quicker steady pace soon. I hope as usual that I didn't overdo Yunho's power and made things interesting enough. Also an odd question, but if anyone wants to answer it I thought a lot about how tf love would smell like if it was a smell and I would appreciate a second opinion. Thanks for the patience and continuing to read it!

Hongjoong had finally done it. He had The Cardinal finally losing a fight. The villain looked flustered under his mask, sweat dampening and sticking to his fringe as he tried to push the hero off of him.

“Ready to turn yourself in?” the hero asked, enjoying having the upper hand for once.

He now straddled The Cardinal onto the hard concrete ground, trying to hold his arms immobile above his head with one hand as he had the other to trying to pull Yunho’s specially made handcuffs from his zipped pocket. 

If Stardust had been there this would’ve been a sure victory, but Hongjoong hadn’t seen him for a while now, having lost the other hero somewhere along the maze of stairs and hallways leading to the rooftop and it barely registered until now that he needed the extra hand.

The couple of heroes didn’t have a good start working together. Yunho was hoping adding Stardust to the team would make things easier, his power being wide and far ranged. Instead the villains picked up and adapted quickly to the shift in their team and the two heroes were slow to get used to each other’s style. Yeosang was not great at communicating and Hongjoong was impulsive, both of them weren’t great at following each other’s lead.

The villain, that continued to trash around in his hold, breathed out a harsh sigh as his energy died down. “I wouldn’t consider yourself victorious so easily if I were you.” He said between strained breaths.

“Your taunts don’t have nearly the same effect when you’re out of air under me like that, you know.” The hero taunted back, a mocking expression on his face as his hand fiddle with the tiny zipper of his jacket pocket.

As he said so the breach the other was waiting for appeared. Maybe he was struggling a bit too much to pull the pocket open or The Cardinal’s appearance tricked him by seeming worse off than he really was. Or it could even be his own attitude that caused it, but his enemy was ruthless and didn’t forgive his slip.

The villain managed to pull one of his arms free, the second one soon following and not wasting time he pulled down the hero’s mask with one hand as he quickly grabbed onto the back of his neck, curling his fingers on the end of his hair and pushing his face down close to his, catching him completely off guard when their lips connected.

Hongjoong was too surprised at his enemy’s advance to have a reaction. He felt a tinge of pain as harsh teeth bit his bottom lip, earning a gasp that the other swallowed to give way to his tongue. His rival forcefully explored the hero’s mouth, taking advantage of his lack of response to deepen the kiss, making the most of it before he inevitably was pushed away.

“No one likes a bad winner, you know.” The villain mocked as he proceeded to give Hongjoong a harsh pull to the side and freeing his leg enough to knee the other on the stomach followed by kicking him away. He was sent rolling with the kick’s impact, the sharp pain on his middle making him choke on dry air until he eventually hit the metal railing stopping him from going any further. 

A loud ringing in his ears and the blurry double vision as he tried to raise himself combined with the burning feeling spreading at the back of his neck told him he probably hit his head. He raised his hand to the area, his movements feeling heavy and his thoughts getting hazy. 

The Cardinal now was recovered, standing and walking in his direction, but as he brought his hands back from his nape and looked from the villain to the red tainting his palm, black splotches invaded his vision and finally he felt himself go limp, darkness overtaking him.

☀ ⇀ ✩

“Don’t touch him!” The newer hero yelled from behind him.

The villain wasn’t expecting it, seeing the glistening wall of gold rise in front of him to block his path before he heard the new voice.

Seonghwa didn’t mean to kick Hongjoong so harshly. Or maybe he did. And he wouldn’t have bothered to worry about him if he just took the hit with fire in his eyes like always, because he knew Hongjoong wasn’t that fragile to have the need to hold back. But this time the other just slumped down not awake anymore and maybe, just maybe, he was afraid he overdid it a little bit.

He had crouched down to check the damage, but before his outstretched hand reached his enemy he was rudely interrupted by Stardust, almost getting his fingers caught into his infectious power.

The rushed yet soft footsteps sounded in the silent night as he looked back to see the shorter hero running towards them. For a second Seonghwa froze, he wanted to see Hongjoong wake up, give any sign of life and make sure he hadn’t done something he would regret. He  _ needed _ to know he was okay. For that reason he didn’t want to move. 

He couldn’t linger though. If Stardust had gotten there then Mingi was already gone, considering they decided to be extra cautious regarding their new opponent. The invisible man did a good job stopping him, quickly noticing his hesitance, but if he ever gotten too dangerous the villains agreed beforehand to just flee.

Seonghwa resigned himself to walking back towards the door the younger hero came through, not caring to stop when he raised his hands in a defensive position already knowing it was an empty threat, and just left in a sour mood, more bothered by his unsightly actions than losing the battle.

✩ ⇀ ❖

“Aaaah!” The older hero yelled out, hurting Yeosang’s ears.

“Could you please cry more quietly, you’re giving me a headache.” He snapped. He had stayed quiet the whole car ride till now, but since Hongjoong woke up his patience was starting to seep away from him. 

As Stardust he felt way less constrained to let his thoughts out than his usual shy and awkward real self, which was great if not for his new found lack of patience, absolutely disgruntled at every post fight ride home he shared with his new partner.

He sat at the back with the hunter and Yunho, trying to focus at the scenery out the window rather than the object of his resentment while the taller mended his injury. In the front his private driver had the divisor pulled up, giving them more privacy.

“I’m hurt, you know. Don’t you have any compassion?” His partner whined in disbelief.

“Oh me? I’m the one with no compassion? What about you that just left me for dead?” His words were razor sharp and laced with venom, yet he ended it with an exasperated childish huff that somehow eased the blow.

He was more hurt that mad, how could he trust a guy like this. 

His hand went instinctively to the tiny bandaid on the side of his cheek, put there not long ago by their psych. Yunho seemed to do a good job of support being there with them only to carry his friend home in case he hadn’t woken up, but coming ready with a pack of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic. 

At first Yeosang didn’t understand why he didn’t wait to do that at home, but Yunho seemed very concerned in cleaning up soon to not get the fancy car seats dirtied with blood. He, as the owner of said fancy car, couldn’t care less, but even after riding it so many times the psych still hadn’t let go of that.

He was reliable,  _ unlike other people _ , Yeosang thought to himself.

“I told you to stick close me, it’s not my fault you keep getting caught.” The hunter replied with just as much edge as he did. 

That was ridiculous. It was the older’s fault entirely. Yeosang couldn’t see that guy, he needed the hero to help him or else of course he would get caught. He  _ was  _ following him and it wasn’t enough. 

He got tripped, fell face first, got grabbed by the ankle and fighting against an invisible giant like that was not fun. It was humiliating and frightening. He was sure half of that guy’s clothes must be golden by now and what if he had actually touched skin and just not noticed?

“You should be glad I keep saving you.” The hero continued to add salt to the injury.

“Well, look who had to save who this time.” The younger replied unaffected.

They had been out fighting together a few times now, but by now their enemies had already figured out that he, unlike the hunter, had no clue where to look for the invisible guy. 

With Mist the fight had some merit to it, Yeosang got to let go of control and use his power freely. The way things went against The Cardinal just felt like he was a distraction to gain more time than a real opponent and it was getting old.

“That guy looked worried when I got there.” Yeosang continued, remembering the scene.

“Huh?” The other seemed caught off guard by that.

“The Cardinal. Looked worried. Did hitting your head got you deaf as well?” Yeosang clarified snarky.

“You real-” The older hero started but quickly got cut off.

“Stop, stop, stop. Both of you calm down. I’m working on something to make you see the invisible guy, it’ll be ready soon it just needs a bit more testing.” Yunho tried appeasing them rationally, seeming disappointed. “Fighting amongst ourselves won’t help.”

❖ ⇀ ☾ ༄ ☽

This whole villains and heroes rivalry that build up around their mission had become a messy masquerade bowl and for once Mingi was glad to be in the position he was on the all knowledgeable team. 

Finding out Wooyoung’s identity was easy and they were aware of it for a long time already since Seonghwa’s commands were always a good tracker for other powers, when his orders didn’t affect a rowdy drunk Wooyoung to get in the damn car after so many tries one night they connected the dots.

The thief’s endeavours didn’t affect them, in fact it was a good distraction so they left it alone and considered an issue that they would get to eventually when they had finished their true goal, same with the mysterious Stardust that they knew not much about yet. Now that that the heroes had joined forces however they had no choice but to also look for help.

It unsettle both the villains, lots of powerful people gathering together like that was dangerous for all of them. It gathered attention from the wrong people and the thin veil of protection that their public image provided could only protect them so far. They didn’t have time to worry about that right then though.

Seonghwa sat on the armchair close to the door, carefully planning from the angle the light would hit his frame to how he should pose to assert himself in his dramatic reveal whenever the thief wandered through his own apartment door.

He liked to do this, Mingi noted after getting caught on the other side of the same situation a number of times, like a parent catching his kid sneaking home too late. His hyung cared deeply for all his friends with all the pure and good intentions in his heart, but the slight superiority he gained from being such a reliable figured certainly was something he could get drunk from.

He guessed his power stemmed from that. Or that stemmed from his power. Powers seemed to go hand in hand with their user’s personality, but no one could tell what shaped what precisely.

Mingi had no preparations to make as he was going to be invisible for most of this talk, he only had to focus on not being too obvious. Seonghwa was merely an acquaintance to Wooyoung. The older was often too busy to go out with them and the younger didn’t attend their college. Mingi on the contrary was a constant in his life, only losing to San and he was very easy to recognize with his tall frame and unmistakable deep voice.

And Wooyoung was no fool. He certainly got off on being underestimated, being actually one of the smartest people Mingi knew. However he also had the shortest attention span he’s ever seen and quickly got bored. He got things quickly if you gave him enough clues, but he just never paid attention long enough to get them.

And that was what they were betting on to not get immediately recognized. So Mingi was gonna stay quiet, only muttering words that were surely more interesting in content than sound in hope that presenting himself as a stranger would throw him off just enough to not get them found out. 

Wooyoung suddenly came in through his apartment window, interrupting Mingi’s musings and worries, used to coming from rooftops rather than through the ground entrance. The mask on the thief’s face felt suffocating and he just wanted to get into the shower, wipe off all the wild make up he used as extra cover off of his face and sweat off his body. He was in such a rush that it took him too long to notice he wasn’t alone.

The hallway light flicked on, bleeding yellow into the room lightly lighting the man sitting on his armchair and startling the thief halfway to death.

“Good evening, Mist” Seonghwa said slowly and calmly, with his “villain” voice as Mingi called it. “My apologies I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m just here for a quick talk. I believe I haven’t introduced myself yet, but that must not be necessary, am I right?”

“If you’re asking if I know you, yeah.” The younger answered defensively stepping back closer to the window he came from. 

“Good, then I can go directly to the point. Stardust has made an alliance with my dear Hunter and it’s giving me a headache to deal with him. I came to propose an alliance of our own.” The Cardinal said going straight to the point.

“Yeah no thanks, I have an absolute no policy on working for free.” The thief didn’t even seem to consider it before responding.

“If they are fighting together against me I’m sure they will come after you too.” Seonghwa tried reasoning.

“Stardust barely reaches half of my level and your plaything will never come close to touching me so no, I don’t think I need any help.” Cocky words slipped out of the thief, that just seemed eager to throw them out.

“Your hero must have become bored with your performance for him to come pick a fight with me. Take some responsibility.” The Cardinal's tone now hardened, not really having any of the younger's attitude. “And rather than how hard they can hit you, I’m sure I could help you actually hit them. I don’t see you winning very often.”

Wooyoung hadn’t lost not even once since his goal was always escaping and he hadn’t be captured, however the villain’s word rang somewhat true to his ears. He hadn’t lost, but had he ever truly won? He did have that thought often while looking at the marks constantly being left on him, that seemed to each time grow in size as if slowly trying to swallow him whole.

“And how do I know you’re not controlling me?” He asked cautiously.

“You don’t” Seonghwa answered without skipping a beat. A lie, he hardly could control Wooyoung, at least not with the same efficiency he did everyone else, but he didn’t need to know that. “But I was hoping I could earn your trust by revealing a secret or two. Knowledge is power after all and I seek an even alliance.”

“Yeaaah, still a hard pass. I don’t trust you and I’m not interested in any knowledge or whatever.” Wooyoung answered. He wanted to win a fight against that annoying rival of his, but The Cardinal presence unsettled him way too much. “Now get the hell out of my house.” 

“I apologize for barging in without a warning, but I think you are reading the situation wrong my dear. This is not something you have a say in, don’t forget there’s nothing stopping me from controlling you after all.” Seonghwa bluffed calmly and patronizing as if having to explain an undeniable truth to a child.

“Then why don’t you do just that?” Wooyoung countered not wanting to submit, but cursing and holding his breath at his own loudmouth. He tried to sound unbothered, but the villain’s words got him on edge and had him shivering with fear under his jacket.

“Is that what you want me to do?” The Cardinal asked eyes wide, voice cold and his head tilting just enough to make the thief’s heart freeze. Then after a second of tension the villain relaxed against the armchair. “I merely wish for an ally rather than a puppet. Controlling your every move seems like wasted energy when I could just ask nicely, don’t you agree?”

Mist had to give it to him. He always had seen the older villain as tacky and silly over the internet, but in person he understood how his acting was effective. Being a villain had become quite the spectacle and Mist himself exaggerated his moves and bravato for the observing crowd. He just wished to uphold his reputation, but the other clearly calculated his move to install fear on the audience and it worked.

“Okay, I’m hearing you.” The thief spoke, finally submitting to the idea being forced at him.

“Good boy.” Seonghwa answered with a smirk and Wooyoung just wanted to punch it out of his face.

“Come out.” The villain continued calling out and confusing the thief.

“Ahhhh!” The thief shrieked loudly frightened at the sudden appearance of a new person towering over him that wasn’t there a second before, high pitch hurting their ears and stumbling back a few feet almost falling.

“This is my partner, he becomes invisible. You are currently the only one that knows about him. Besides the heroes of course.” The villain explained matter-of-factly, unfazed at the trick compared to the thief. “If we’ll work together I figured you should know about him.”

“Guess so.” He mumbled.

Mingi was a bit disheartened by the other’s silence and short answers from then on as Seonghwa continued about the terms of their pact, but the older’s attitude and pulling on a stunt on him was necessary so he kept quiet for the time being, accepting that this would work through intimidation for now. He hoped the other would grow used to Seonghwa with time.

“I can’t think of anything else you’d need to know. Any questions? I wish to gain your trust, so I will answer what I can truthfully, else I’ll abstain from commenting.” The villain finished finally.

Mist seemed deep in thought for a second before opening his mouth again. “Where did the name come from?”

“Huh?” Seonghwa wasn’t expecting that question, not understanding it at face value.

“You know “The Cardinal”, you named yourself, didn’t you?” The younger explained making air quotations.

“The cardinal is a high ranking priest, as I go after criminal I make them confess their sins and give them an according punishment.” The hero started professing, giving off the exact amount of arrogance Wooyoung expected of the prick. 

“Also is the name of a bird.” He then added quickly in an uncharacteristic mumble.

“A bird?” That caught the thief by surprise again.

“A pun between my purpose and an old nickname.” He explained.

“It was either angry bird or mars as far as nicknames goes.” Mingi commented snickering already.

“Haha, lame. Mars could’ve worked better with that tacky red suit. I see the resemblance well though.” The thief answered between laughs.

Normally Seonghwa would be pissed at the mockery, but right then he had to try to hide smile at how the thief didn’t differ at all from the bratty kid his friends hang around with.

“And what’s the big guy’s name?” Mist asked.

The thief actually knew Mingi in real life and they were hoping the dim lights and rush of fights would work in their favor in addition to the mask. They didn’t however think about a way to call him since it was never necessary.

“It’s not necessary for you to know, he answers to me only. Anything you need to discuss you can come directly to me.” Seonghwa tried playing it off, while trying to think on what to do.

The persona The Cardinal put up as a villain made it easy to brush things off, he knew it made him come off as arrogant and self-righteous, but it was useful when it came to excuses. Types like Wooyoung never really fell for that part of it though.

“And that’s what you call a genuinely even alliance?” The thief asked in an accusatory mocking tone, clearly trying to push his buttons.

Seonghwa only rolled his eyes at the childish antics, he didn’t care enough to get riled up.

“Then give him a name.” The villain proposed surprising both sides.

“What?” The thief asked dumbfounded. Mingi looked back at him brow scrunched equally puzzled.

“No one can see him, so we never bothered with an alias. You’d be the only one using it, so I don’t care whatever you come up with.”

Wooyoung stood with his mouth opened without knowing how to react, but got to thinking eventually, leaning onto a furniture piece by the window. “How about…”

“Eclipse?” He tried it. “You know, cuz you disappear… Like an Eclipse?”

Mingi only gave him an incredulous face, still not yet caught up with the random prospect of being named by the thief.

“Way cooler than a bird name, right?” He continued to comment snickering already seemed comfortable enough to mock the older villain again. Seonghwa seemed to be pleased with the outcome so Mingi just sighed conforming to it. Eclipse was his name now, not that anyone would be saying it often he presumed.

☾ ༄ ☽ ⇀ ☀

Hongjoong woke up to knocks on his dorm room’s door. 

It had been two… No, three maybe? A few days since The Cardinal knocked him out. His sense of time was warped by then. After getting home from the incident the hero fell face first into his pillow and slept for over eighteen hours as he heard from Yunho, which wasn’t indicated when a person got a blow to the head but, oh well, he was just so tired he couldn’t help it.

When he next woke up, it was only to feel much more pain than before and he didn’t even have the strength to move, much less shower or anything else. Yunho only had time to change his bandages quickly before the bunch of painkillers he took acted and lulled him back to sleep. His roommate sounded worried, but there was only a small cut as far as he could describe so Hongjoong just shooed him for the time being.

However while his body was forced to sleep his mind had a hard time after already having passed a whole day doing it. It felt as if he was in a limbo drifting in and out of conscience only to worry about what was wrong for this to be hurting so damn bad. 

He wasn’t dumb enough to think he was above getting a concussion or something of the likes, he needed to get that checked out and he shouldn’t be sleeping so much, but what excuse was he gonna say caused that. 

And how he’d get there in this state anyway, the last thing he wanted to do was reach out to Stardust much less to ask for a ride on his stupid fancy car.

His head throbbed in pain again. That’s it. He was gonna die. The end was near.

Knocks on the door sounded again. He groaned. Where’s Yunho when he needed that giant puppy. Getting up took way too much effort as lighthead as he was, reality feeling so far away and his body so heavy.

“What do you want?” The grumpy hero asked opening the door, eyes not even seeing properly yet through the jarring light coming in.

“Ah, sorry. I just… You didn’t answer my messages so I got a bit worried…” Park Seonghwa stood there awkwardly giving excuses for his visit in a soft voice, clearly not expecting to get instantly yelled at. 

Hongjoong thought for a hazy second that indeed he was dead to have been visited by such an ethereal angelic entity. And then he realised his rudeness and actually wanted to be dead.

“No no no, everything is fiiine, I’m fine it’s... fine.” Hongjoong tried reassuring the other while holding himself up by the doorframe, but he just sounded so groggy and tired. His... boyfriend, by now they were definitely more than friends he guessed, was clearly not convinced by his words.

“May I come in?” Seonghwa asked unsure.

“Sure, just… gimme a second to clean up some stuff.” he answered stumbling back.

He left the door partially opened as he went to open the blinds on the pitch black room, still as lightheaded as when he first got up. He was on the way to the bathroom to try and at least brush his messy hair when suddenly the black dots on his visions were back. Luckily Seonghwa didn’t wait much to follow him inside, just in time to catch Hongjoong mid slip up in his arms.

“Hongjoong, you’re not okay, you should go to the hospital.” Seonghwa said firmly, but it fell on deaf ears as Hongjoong’s fuzzy vision could only focus at his face inches away from his.

He looked disappointed. Why did he look so disappointed? Ah, he had asked him a question and now he should answer it. Hongjoong’s hazy mind didn’t quite registered anything other than that he didn’t want this beautiful angel disappointed at him.

“I’m just a bit sleep-” He tried saying, his voice sounding far away from his own ears.

“Joong, your pillow is soaked in blood.” He pointed out with an accusing eyebrow raised, the shorter only now noticing how sticky his neck was, that he must had bleed through his bandages. 

“What happened?” The older asked concerned, now with Hongjoong already on his feet again yet his arms stayed there around his waist, making sure he was stable. For the hero the closeness only made him dizzier though.

“I just fell down the stairs.” Hongjoong answered quickly making up an excuse. Thankfully the other didn’t question it, moving on to carrying him to bed.

“You should’ve told me, you know I can help. Let me have a look at it.” The older asked placing him in bed, making him lay face down into the pillow for better vision.

“You did a good job sterilising it.” Seonghwa murmured as he analysed the cut.

“My roommate did it for me. Dumped half a bottle of antiseptic on it.” Hongjoong replied, pout evident in his voice at the memory.

“Must’ve stung. The cut is not big but it seems deep, you need stitches. If you don’t treat it you might seriously die of blood loss.”

“Really?” Hongjoong asked in a panic already trying to get up, terrified expression on his face.

“No.” He answered chuckling at the reaction and pushing him back down softly. “But you are suffering from blood loss definitely, you needed better bandaging than this if you were trying to escape getting stitches. But you shouldn’t if you don’t want an infection.”

“Can’t you treat it for me? I don’t really wanna go to the doctor.” Hongjoong whined like a little kid, hearing a sigh in response.

“I’m a student, I don’t have a license, so I shouldn’t do something like that even if I know how to. Also this will already leave a scar, I would probably worsen it even more trying to sew it up.”

“A scar?” Hongjoong screeched really opposed to the idea. “I don’t want an ugly scar…” He mumbled after a defeated sound.

“Nothing bout you will ever be ugly, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said softly rubbing comforting circles onto his back.

Okay, a scar could be… aesthetic. Hongjoong could work with that, he tried reasoning with himself. He needed to shut up and stop embarrassing himself in front of his crush. It wasn’t like he would be seeing the back of his own neck often either way. Maybe it was time to grow a mullet again like he did in high school. 

And. If he had to have a mark imprinted on him. Having it be made by Seonghwa seemed much more appealing than by The Cardinal. Like a tattoo, a nice memory of a lover rather than an enemy. He sunk more into his pillow, hiding as he blushed madly from the prospect. 

What was he even thinking, his thoughts were all jumbled and he felt like his conscience was floating. He hated it.

“Please just make it go away.” The hero spoke, practically whispering.

“Okay” Seonghwa whispered back soothingly, hand feeling heavy and hot on his back.

The older conveniently had the material in his bag, almost as if already expecting this situation and it really didn’t take much to convince Seonghwa to use it, maybe because he went there with the intention to right his wrong doings from the start, but Hongjoong didn’t know that neither did he take much notice of it beyond being grateful.

The hero didn’t have spare energy to scrutinise the situation too deeply to start with. Specially since getting stitches  _ hurt _ . Not only that but he had to lay face first on Seonghwa’s lap for the older to have proper access to it and it was so embarrassing to be struggling to hold still centimeters away from his crotch. He lowkey drooled all over his pants in his light headed bloodlost state as he tried to grit his teeth at the pain and he wanted to simply vanish from shame. 

It was a bittersweet feeling in a way. He was thankful to Seonghwa for taking care of him, dressing his wound and the reassuring caresses on his back and gentle pets on the head. He was there for him, he could rely on him and he didn’t even once really question him. 

But also it was humiliating. It was already bad enough that he was hurt, a clear sign he had failed, but also having to go through this in front of him. He felt disgusting and worn out. It seemed that more often than not he showed his weaker side to Seonghwa and that wasn’t how he wanted to be seen. 

His touches and care made him feel loved and safe yet the gaze at the back of his neck made him feel vulnerable, ashamed and small. 

Seonghwa’s visit didn’t last much. The older only stopped by between classes and tending to the hero took roughly an hour, time that he didn’t actually have to start with. Hongjoong was already falling asleep by the time he finished and devoid of any coherent thought. He really wanted to just be held to infinity and never be let go, but he also hadn’t showered in over three days and the thought of being held like this made him feel gross.

Unsuspecting of the other’s internal conflicting feelings Seonghwa just opted to leave him with a kiss to the forehead after tucking him in and leaving a note listing proper medicine and instructions written on it. 

Yunho didn’t take too long to arrive, only missed the villain for a couple of minutes. He got scared senseless by the red tainted pillow on the floor and quickly ran to his roommate aid, desperately trying to shake him up frightened he might’ve actually died while he was in class.

It was a small cut and Yunho was no doctor, how would he know it was so serious, he told his best friend to go to the hospital, this whole hero thing was so dumb, he said they shouldn’t get involved… A thousand curses ran through his head, but Hongjoong just swatted him away lazily mumbling that ‘Seonghwa fixed it’ and as the older turned away in his sea of blankets the curative on his nape had been changed, way more professionally looking than Yunho could ever strive for with his clumsy bandages.

The psych vaguely remembered the guy Hongjoong was seeing was a med student, but he didn’t know much else. It might’ve been the first time he even heard his name. The older didn’t share much, although his lovestruck attitude was obvious whenever his dates popped up in conversation or in his thoughts.

Yunho wasn’t the nosy type, with gossip at least. If it wasn’t a problem, a puzzle to be solved, he didn’t bother prying knowing that Hongjoong would tell him when he was ready. But this maybe peaked his curiosity a little bit. The outset to his interest in actually meeting the, suddenly mysterious, man.

After all being a hero was dangerous, maybe having a doctor on their side would be useful. Although that’d entailed telling him about their identities and that only worked for Hongjoong, since he didn’t feel like exposing his powers. He scrapped the idea and figured he’d question his roommate when he woke up, for now he was left with a list of anti-infection meds and another bottle of antiseptic to go after.

And maybe a new pillow considering his was so rudely stolen and now was being all drooled over. From then on he had to start thinking twice before putting out his cool spiderman pillowcase and sheets set before a hero mission, he made the mental note sourly.

☀  ⇀ ☾ ✧ ☽

Yunho spending the holidays at Yeosang’s place had actually been pretty helpful beyond just embarrassing moments and growing their friendship. His room, as the psych later got to see, had all the mess you’d expect from a young man of that age in contrast to the empty space that the rest of the apartment was. 

Still not much of a personality, more like a makeshift storage for all of the boy’s things, but less unsettling to the psych.  _ “I don’t plan on staying here for too long.” _ was what he had to say once Yunho got the courage to ask.

And then he saw, right after he almost broke his ankle slipping on a misplaced skateboard, a pile of drones. The boy seemed to be quite interested in them as he had a number of different models. 

Usually Yunho hated when the hero life jumped up and invaded his normal one, not wanting to see “work” everywhere he went, however the ideas he got looking at them… He couldn’t be happier.

One thing lead to another until there he was, sitting at a fire escape of their chemistry building conveniently placed in the middle of the city. The height was a little too much for his taste, he tied a chain between the bars and his belt as he sat down and swung his legs out making himself comfortable, but he wasn’t particularly scared of it beyond a natural instinctive worry.

He took his time bringing his things out, a tiny drone, his controller and a small box careful to keep them very far from the edge.

Once he was settled he turned on the tiny lab rat and tested flying it out like he’d trained with Yeosang through the last week. He was still sloppy at that but he had enough skill by now to do it alone, quickly getting the drone to go up and flying in front of him.

The whole platform shook as another person loudly landed besides him, giving his heart a fright and making him grip the metal bars for dear life.

“What are you doing there?” The familiar deep voiced villain asked as he towered over Yunho, not wasting time with greetings.

The psych put the drone to hover on standby and mused for a second how he should answer him, just staring at the other with a pout. The other seemed more accessible than his partner and that gave Yunho hope of talking things out with him, reach an understanding. For that he supposed honesty would be the best policy. 

It sounded silly, trying to build up trust with the enemy, but that was Yunho’s speciality. And besides them being enemies, whatever feelings the villain had for him were not threatening at all, in fact they felt, smelled and tasted amazingly sweet like nothing Yunho had seen before. 

For the uniqueness of it he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but the warmth and the fragrant smell of hazelnut and cinnamon made him sure that the other was a kind person, right then he didn’t fear him at all. In fact he would even go so far as to think he might be fond of Yunho. 

Although that’s a stretch, he thought to himself unconvinced by the physical evidence his power provided him with.

“Can you turn invisible for a moment?” Yunho asked not quite sure how to explain his goal without showing an example. As he asked that he pulled the small box taking out a pair of glasses out of it.

“Even if I do, does it make any difference to you?” The man standing besides him asked in a light tone.

“Just do it” Yunho answered with a pout. He put the glasses on and grinned when he saw no traces of him, flying the the drone a bit closer to him to show what he came up with.

“See?” Yunho said showing the screen on his controller to the empty space besides him. “The glasses too. I haven’t tested on anyone else, but it works on me so it does make a difference with it. I can’t see you right now and this camera can.”

“What’s the point of having glasses that neutralizes a power like yours?” The villain asked.

“There’s more to it than just that. It’s a long story. Besides it’ll make Stardust see you without affecting his own power so there’s plenty of good use.” Yunho answered cheekly, hoping that info wasn’t too valuable to give away, still set on being transparent.

“Can I try them? The glasses I meant.” His rival asked, explaining more clearly when Yunho tilted his head in question.

The older put them on looking at Yunho oddly for a minute too long, before taking a seat besides the psych and directing his sight to the people on the streets below them, dots full of color to him now. 

“Wow” was all that he had to say.

“It doesn’t neutralise powers, it just gives you my vision. Of course on me it works on reverse.” Yunho explained. “Must be annoying to use it for too long though.”

“It’s beautiful.” He said astonished. Then he looked at Yunho one more time. “You’re beautiful.”

“Me?” Yunho asked not getting where that came from, feeling a bit awkward, but then it sank in. “Ah, do I have an aura too?”

“Hmh.” The other agreed.

“What color is it?” The psych asked eager to know more. He didn’t see it at the mirror somehow.

“Gold, but… Blue? It’s so hard to describe... It’s both at the same time.” The villain answered thoughts scrambled.

“I get what you mean.” Yunho answered knowingly, although he couldn’t quite imagine what the others had in blue.

“That’s how your power works?” He asked curious.

“Well, yes. There’s lots more aspects and side effects to it, but vision wise I’m sure it’s accurate.” The psych replied. “It should take a while to get used to it, but since you can be seen with it, it’s not just a novelty item. Took me so long to figure this one out.”

And it really did, Yunho tested a huge array of materials and only by coincidence he came across the fact that his power didn’t affect glass at all, allowing him to design something that could hold his power and not make it radiate any further. 

It technically was a newfound weakness if not for his creativity, but that he wouldn’t share.

“What about me? Do I have an aura?” The younger asked looking down at his own hands.

“I’m not sure… I was curious since I can’t see it but you should have one. I just don’t know what conditions it would appear in, your powers seems to affect it.” Yunho pondered at the question, as he had done many times the last few months. Asking the source didn’t help after all. If only he could do some tests...

“I’ll give you a treat since you’ve been a good boy.” The younger said interrupting his thoughts with a hand on his head, ruffling the other’s hair messily before settling his fingers and carding through it in a comforting manner.

Being honest and telling him all that was already paying off. Yunho snorted with a blush at the gesture and he could see the wrinkles around the other’s eyes indicating a smile. It soon went away though. “We’ve contacted Mist yesterday. The Cardinal wants him to deal with Stardust for us.” 

Yunho’s blood went cold, that wasn't good. Now the villains were teaming up and it was three powers against one. Stardust had his work cut out for him. It was good to have that information though.

“Now you won’t be caught by surprise, that’s your reward.” The villain said, hand sliding down from being entangled in his hair to cupping his cheek, his thumb slowly brushing against his cheekbone a few times before Yunho spoke again.

“Thank you for telling me.” He answered, trying to put on a grateful smile even if the news didn’t quite make him any happy.

They stayed in silence for close to a minute just looking at the city lights under their feet, Yunho’s head heavy filled with thoughts of his friends and the man besides him with thoughts of Yunho himself both already trying to plan for their protection.

With the soured mood weighing down on them, his protective enemy figured the best he could do right now was take his mind away from the news for the time being.

“You know I got a nickname today.” He commented hoping to distract him.

“Oh really? What is it?” Yunho asked perking up.

“Eclipse. Mist thought I needed a cool villain name.” He huffed at the memory.

“Haha, is that so? I suppose it fits you. Now I have a name to call you by so I'm glad he thought that.” The psych replied approving the new codename.

Mingi couldn't help himself but smile at that. Yunho liked having a name to call him by! His name mattered to Yunho even if only just a little and that made his heart flutter with happiness even if realistically he knew it had no such deep meaning whatsoever.

“The Hunter got his name not too long ago as well, I wonder why he got called that.” The older commented suddenly.

“Well the Cardinal is named after a bird so I guess people just went off from that?” He responded unsure himself.

“Really? That's so lame.” Yunho answered with laughter that warmed the other’s heart. “Everyone else has such cool names now though, I'm jealous.”

“Yunho is a pretty neat name if you ask me.” Mingi tried but the compliment landed awkwardly in the air between them, only receiving an unconvinced scoff from the older.

“Thanks I guess.” The psych replied.

“How about Aurora? Like the lights you see.” Eclipse suggested after thinking for a bit.

“As my name? But I'm not a hero or anything.” Yunho answered getting caught off guard by the suggestion.

“The Hunter wouldn't be out there if it wasn't for you, you earned the title.” Eclipse answered with a hand on his shoulder. “Besides codenames aren't just for fun and pose. It could be dangerous if someone heard me saying your real name. Your friends shouldn't say it while disguised as well.”

“I guess you do have a point.” Yunho agreed.

“Also you're too easy to find. At least wear a mask if you're gonna be so obvious.” The other now had his arm over his shoulder and pulled him closer as he excitedly gave him tips to the amusement of the older.

“Am I really? Don't let my roommate hear you or I'll have to wear a uniform as well.” He answered laughing as Eclipse continued to tell him how to take more hero like precautions.

Soon a comfortable silence fell between them, the city lights beneath filtering their vision with a particular brand of nostalgia, comforting yet chilling at the same time. Yunho found it refreshing, the cold air letting him breath for the first time in a while. Heights helped him, not many people and feelings up there besides the two of them.

He once again moved the drone he had been neglecting, putting on the glasses to have an unbiased vision and dipping the gadget into a slow dive towards a park, not very busy at that hour, but still packing a few late runners.

“It really does work with anyone!” He exclaimed excitedly as he saw people’s aura even as he used the glasses. “Now the problem is just durability I gue…”

Looking back at Eclipse his voice drops, the drone lowering itself to the ground with a silent thud, thankfully not getting caught in a tree or a bush.

“Eclipse? Are you there?” He asked to the now void besides him, the villain having disappear.

“I'm here.” The voice startled him a little bit coming for way closer to his face than he expected. “Maybe if you take off the glasses…”

He had already assumed the other had walked away, vanished into the night like a mysterious brooding supervillain but he was still there in all his glory, pale skin adorned by the moonlight way too close and way too precious with starry eyes that he hit himself mentally for noticing.

“Why did you decide to become invisible again? Were you planning to scare me?” Yunho asked jokingly to hopefully hide the flush on his face.

“I didn't decide anything.” The other answered in a soft mumble, not quite upset just conformed earning a confused look from the psych. “Let's just say that it takes more effort to be visible than not. And even now I'm still getting the hang of it.”

“I see.” Yunho answered knowingly. That seemed to be the pattern with powers.

“My power… It doesn't just simply turn on and off as well.” He spoke slowly and hesitant. “Sometimes it can be a little... Overwhelming.”

Yunho felt the atmosphere now dense and hard to breath in, both of their thoughts drifting into a darker place again.

“I guess being invisible might take the cake on unlucky though.” He laughed slightly and humorless, just trying to make light of it in hopes of brightening up when an idea hit him.

“Ah, actually, maybe I have something for you that can help!” The psych exclaimed excitedly. “All that there is to your power is being invisible, right? Nothing else?”

“Why?” Eclipse asked suspicious.

“Hm... Medical reasons I guess? We don't see each other very often so I most probably won't be able to check on the long term effects of it.” Yunho answered scavenging through his backpack.

“What?” It was Mingi’s turned to be confused.

“Well, my power neutralizes other powers and I can make this... Amulets? Trinkets? High tech masterpieces? Whatever you choose to call them.” Yunho started the usual explanation for the third time now, proud of himself to have made his power and degree helpful some way.

“They wear off with use. As you can imagine the Hunter and Stardust use them a lot so I have plenty to spare just in case.”

Finally he pulled out a little clothed bag, turning it on his cupped hand. A couple of golden charms and multiple star shaped plastic fell out of it. 

“Here I can give you a few, I usually just change the inside for them, but I'm sure you can figure it out by yourself. I’ll just gift them to you…” He paused for a second suddenly hopeful. If he was helpful maybe he could get another reward again? “Although, it would be nice if you could, you know, maybe stop being a villain? And the Cardinal too? Or maybe just give me a little more info to help me out?”

He knew he was asking for too much, but the feelings radiating off Eclipse had been so compliantly gentle towards him up until then that he almost felt it could be possible and so he continued to drag on with naive puppy eyes that albeit soft felt like daggers through Mingi’s heart.

“I know you're after something and it's not criminals or diamonds maybe we can reach a compromise…” He continued hoping to convince his enemy.

“Yunho." The villain interrupting,

"That not the name you gave me." Yunho frowned disappointed, realising he was getting carried away and that they weren’t actually friends.

At some point he stopped taking notice of the feelings in the air through their encounter for once comfortable enough with the calming way it affected him to focus on the moment instead of dissecting them as usual, but now he realised how spoiled they had got him over the course of barely an hour and that was dangerous.

It was strange to have something so far back of his mind mind that he doesn’t even notice unconsciously string along his expectations for this man that he’s not even fairly close to, making him feel like he was… special? That he would be taken care of in a way.

And now Eclipse looked heartbroken at his reaction which was way too intense and way to charged of an emotion for Yunho to deal with so he backed away. 

He didn't expect to receive any answers to start with, he told himself, just trying it out to see what he could get. Those were gifts, just like he gave the other two boys, a gift didn't entail anything in return.

“I'm kidding, here take it. I can make more if you need it, you won't be invisible as long as you carry it with you.” He spoke again hastily wanting to move on.

The younger picked the little charms in his hand, one of the golden stars and a few of the clear plastic copies that he guessed went inside and stowed them away on his pocket not quite close enough to himself to have them into effect yet.

He sighed and Yunho could feel the warmth of gratitude washing over him in slow waves, bring him back from the spiraling of complicated feelings and making his hair stand on edge like a kiss on the neck.

“It's like a pressure has been lift off of me. Thanks, Aurora.” Eclipse said meaning it and carefully using the alias that the other seemed to have liked so much. It hurt him not being able to just give Yunho what he wanted, but he seemed to have liked to be called by the name Mingi had given him and that he was thrilled about.

With that Eclipse stood up, metal clanking under his feet as he made his way towards the edge of the platform. 

“Call me if you need anything, just... Don't ask me for more than I can give you. Please.” He sounded pained, and Yunho kinda wished he was already using the charm because he somehow felt in with the other’s words that he probably would die for him if he asked him to, which was a weird unique feeling Yunho hadn't been faced with before and the psych wasn’t sure he liked feeling it directed at himself.

Then the man turned his back to him and in that split second Yunho finally realised the implications of what he had done.

“Wait!” He got so distracted with Eclipse, he didn't understand why he felt like he could trust him so much, was he that easy to seduce that he just became stupid? What he gave him could easily be used against Stardust or anyone with a power.

“Can you not tell the Cardinal... Or Mist... About the charm.” He asked, the damage already done.

“I won't. Goodbye my Aurora.” He said a subtle smile hidden beneath his mask gracing the corner of his eyes before he jumped into a much much lower step.

Yunho didn't quite know what to freak out about first, how cute the smile was, the fact that he said  _ my _ Aurora, that he just gave their essential secret tech to the enemy without a second thought or that the man just jumped off a shaky platform of a ten story building.

He swallowed a silent scream as he lowered his face to his hands, rosy cheeks blushing all the way to the top of his ears as he tried to compose himself, brain short-circuiting for a good minute.

☾ ✧ ☽  ⇀ ❖

Yeosang was finally wearing the glasses, he got past Eclipse no problem this time only to receive a flying kick to the chest off a building by Mist and end up barely hanging on by a misplaced tv cable.

One would think he'd be used to his arch nemesis by now, to know all his tricks and be ready to fight accordingly but he soon came to realize as he observed the dull silver scatter in the air above his head that he always had Mist in the defensive, never the other way around.The thief was ruthless in the offensive and that brought him a whole assortment of new problems.

His thoughts were broken by Hongjoong's yells as he looked up to see him leaning over the edge.

“Take my hand!” He yelled stretching his arm in his direction.

“What?” Was all Stardust could answer dumbly staring at him as if he was crazy.

“Hurry grab my hand or you’ll fall!” The Hunter continued to yell while trying to grab Yeosang’s bare hand.

“Are you stupid? You’ll lose your hand!” He screamed back releasing one of his hands before his partner could reach it, now holding on by just one.

“I don’t care just do it!” The older pleaded desperate.

Yeosang didn’t do it, instead letting go of the cable and falling. Hongjoong was about to have a heart attack when the other suddenly wasn’t going down anymore. He watched dumbfounded as the other came up through little steps of gold creating little planks of metal that came out of the wall as he brushed his hand on it that appearing under his feet.

The Hunter only stared dumbfounded as he got back up ready to continue the fight, yet no one was there with them anymore.

❖ ⇀  ✧

“I was fine, you wasted time.” They weren’t even in the car for a minute and the two heroes were whining loudly already arguing back and forth.

“Wasted time? I thought you were about to fall to your death!” Hongjoong barked back exasperated.

“You gotta trust me already. You were the ones that asked for my help, but you don’t even know what I can do. We’ll never win if you really don’t trust me and my power.” Yeosang told him off and it seemed to stick that time.

Hongjoong quieted down at that. The hero Hunter only had his mind in capturing his enemy and that might make him a tad blinded, but Hongjoong still cared for his now partner and he couldn’t just let him get hurt like that, not when he could help. Now he was starting to see his own faults in their partnership. 

Both of them opted for looking out of the window as Yunho awkwardly shifted in the middle, regretting coming to pick them up this time. He did to check on his precious glasses not patient enough to wait till the next day for feedback.

“You guys do know that it’s okay if you touch, right?” He commented absentmindedly as he placed the glasses back into their case hoping the tricky to repair accessory wouldn’t wear off as fast inside the case.

“What?” Both of them asked, misplaced annoyance still in their voice.

“I mean, Stardust doesn’t have anything stopping his powers, but you do hyung. If The Cardinal can’t affect you then he wouldn’t either, you know.” He pointed out shifting his things.

The Hunter’s face of disbelief was almost comical and would be great entertainment for the youngest had he himself not been facepalming at that moment.

“Hmmmm. I’ll give this mission a C grade. You seem to be adjusting well to the glasses and we are doing better, but we still have a long way ahead of us.” Yunho muttered while writing some notes on a little notebook that Hongjoong recognised as his makeshift prototype catalogue. The older noticed every mission was getting logged in the last pages since he got knocked out for the first time.

“Are you grading us now?” The older snorted baffled that the notes his roommate made had actual performance grades on them.

“Yes, until you reach an SSS I won’t be satisfied and I really don’t enjoy playing this game, so hurry up with that, will you.” The psych pointed out while taking the eldest under his arm to ruffle his hair. Stardust sighted at his spot, back to looking out the window. 

The two heroes weren’t working in synch yet, but Yunho could see the little progress through his notes as they started to adapt to each other and as frustratingly slow as that was it was still a step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to clear out that I answer comments right before posting the new chapter. I know is really late and It's not that I'm not seeing them or ignoring them, I just kinda have some real bad social anxiety that still sticks to me even online and I love comments and feedback, I'm so thankful!!!! so I want to respond and express my thankfulness but it's a whole effort and process for me no matter how simple it comes out as and it's easier if i do it all at once than multiple times until i post again. But I want to interact and im really really really happy and grateful!!!!


	10. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What about you?" Jongho asked, panic and fear clear in his voice.
> 
> "I'll be fine, just go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's been a hot second. It's very late, I'm very tired and idk how I feel about this chapter, but I feel like I got my shit together as far as where I'm going with this storyline. Also. I found out that Hongjoong's little sun symbol I use to break sections becomes a sun emoji on mobile and I'm sad. I'll fix that soon.

“Out on a date again, hyung?” Yunho asked.

At the start Hongjoong was a bit shy with his plans, probably not being too sure of them himself, but now a couple of months in the older had seemed to let go of any qualms he had about it and was flaunting his love induced good mood all over.

The psych was glad the other didn’t slack with using his star talisman, stylish draped over a chain in his jacket right now and ever changing places on his daily looks, because Yunho didn’t need to feel butterflies on his stomach together with his best friend.

“You never introduced me to your new boyfriend.” Yunho pointed out teasingly from his spot on their messy work desk.

“We are not official official yet, I think? I don’t know maybe it’s a bit too early? Maybe soon.” Hongjoong mumbled, staring at the mirror focused on styling his outfit flawlessly.

“Hasn’t it been like more than two months by now? Can I get a name at least?” He prodded a bit more.

“Why?” The other asked, eyeing him defensively.

“To look him up online, of course!” Yunho answered as if it was obvious, rolling his eyes.

“Ah, I never thought of that.” Hongjoong answered.

It didn’t surprise Yunho, the older wasn’t into social media at all. And more than not being into it, he probably didn’t know how to properly use them, most of his accounts being there just for the sake of it without any real posts. The tech major was completely appalled when he found the only one he accessed often was pinterest for his diy crafts and passion projects.

“Park Seonghwa, he’s a student on that fancy med school close to the central library.” Hongjoong answered bashfully while fixing his scarf.

While searching up the name it was clear his best friend’s love interest followed his trend of being absent of online presence. Made for each other Yunho thought. His facebook was probably set to the highest privacy settings and his instagram was private, nothing anywhere else. He sent a follow request, maybe Hongjoong had mentioned him before or something, why not.

The older left soon with a bounce in his step and Yunho went back to his homework. A few hours his request was accepted.

He didn’t post much and looking through the photos none really stood out to him too much. The newest one was familiar, the picture he took with Hongjoong on christmas. A few scattered selfies showed how the older was definitely handsome, but besides a few milestones like a high school graduation and such, his pictures were more focused on landscapes. Pretty sunsets and parks, very aesthetic and boyfriend material. Yunho scrolled mindlessly trying to see if anything outrageous popped up. And it really didn’t. 

He was about to stop when something caught his eye, a row of pictures displaying landmarks from his hometown. The psych smiled fondly remembering those places, swiping through each of them. The account owner looked very different in them compared to the more recent ones, his natural hair not yet bleached.

The last picture had him really close to the camera trying to fit a second person in the frame, another boy standing off in the distance distracted at the view. The caption read “Mingi-ya! I came to visit, are you happy now?”

Why was that name familiar, he couldn’t see the face of that second guy well. Maybe it was someone he went to school with? Yunho was pretty popular, he knew most people and the town was pretty small, but it was hard to link the name to a face in his mind.

That lead him into another rabbit hole of sns searches. Again there was nothing much, the post wasn’t tagged and the only thing he found was a facebook account without a picture. If they weren’t friends on it he probably would’ve missed it, but it confirmed that Yunho should probably know him as it was written right there under his current college course, an online one apparently, the name of their high school.

If he could only see his face. Maybe he could get one of his old yearbooks and look him up. He was halfway through texting his mom for them when he stopped to think that this was just a random guy that Hongjoong’s mysterious date took a picture with like four or five years ago and it might be a little creepy for him to be that invested on finding out his identity, but to his defence most of his classes always had like the same 30 people max, he ought to know this guy.

It didn’t really excuse wasting money on mailing the books to him, but he was just in a nostalgic mood by then. Yunho might have struggled with his power, but he was one of those people that actually enjoyed high school. He’d have taken those yearbooks with him already if his mom hadn’t limited his inefficient form of packing for college two years ago.

✧ ⇀  ❖

After the incident Hongjoong and Yeosang started patrolling more constantly. The city was huge for just two, specially for busy tired college students, but Yunho’s gadgets made it easier now that they could point out the golden auras and narrow down their comfort area for attacks. Apparently doing good deeds boosted their moral a lot too even if not every crime they encountered was committed by their rivals.

Yeosang convinced the picky hero to let him take the area around his prey’s apartment with the excuse of it being closer to his own, although that might’ve been a lie. He wondered what his leader, with giant quotes on leader as far as Yeosang was concerned, would say if he knew Stardust knew Mist’s identity from the start. 

He had been looking for Wooyoung for so long and now that he had him so close he found his old friend hard to approach without the guise of a fight. The boy was taking his time to ready himself for their reencounter. It was such a messy situation to approach, both the emotional baggage they carried from their childhood and the fact that Yeosang needed to stop him.

It was easy to move through rooftops with his power, making platform and bridges without a second glance at his feet, it allowed him cover and the high ground from there although he sometimes mused how much trespassing they all did in these fights. The night was boring and cold, a big lumpy plush coat draped over his hero uniform, so he got lost in thought yet again just passing time under the starry sky and moving quickly to heat him up when he spotted his usual target.

Right on time, Wooyoung usually appeared at that alley around that hour, yet something seemed off somehow. He was frozen in place, someone else blocking the other end and it took all but five seconds for Yeosang to notice it was a robbery. It took him way less than five seconds to raise a golden wall between the two as he jumped down into the pavement down there and another five for the thief to realise and run off not even bothering to fight back. Boring, but if Wooyoung was safe he’d let it go.

“This place is dangerous.” He said, now face to face with his childhood friend after so long of lurking around him. Wooyoung was probably not afraid of the dark alleyway at all though, by the annoyed look he was giving the hero.

“I was just on my way home from dance practice, it’s the fast way there.” The younger replied defensively.

A dancer huh. It fit him, Stardust thought.

“What are you even doing here? Is Mist around?” Wooyoung asked a bit of a sharp tone in his voice. Yeosang guessed Mist would hate his rival, so he tried not get too affected by it. Wooyoung was the one in the wrong as far as that matter went.

“Just patrolling. Do you need me to walk you home?” The hero asked 

“I’m fine I don’t need you to worry about me.” Wooyoung answered snappy.

“I see. Be safe.” Yeosang answered without pushing it, just getting to see him so close was enough for now. Baby steps, he thought to himself.

Wooyoung huffed at that. His biggest threat was Stardust himself. He didn’t need to be patronized by him.

❖  ⇀ ✩ 

“Going out with that shorty again?” Mingi’s deep voice sounded at Seonghwa’s bedroom doorway.

“Mhm, if you could pick me up after your classes that’d be great.” Seonghwa said without looking back at his roommate, too focused on applying his tinted lip balm.

He moved on to strap on his choker and fish a pair of earrings from the little chest of trinkets on the vintage dressing table he currently sat in front of.

Mingi watched him from his spot at the entrance of his room, leaning against the door frame. “Don’t you think you’re putting a little too much effort into this?”

“Hm?” The older still didn’t quite get what he was implicating.

“Did you start liking this guy, hyung?”

“Don’t be foolish Mingi-ya” Seonghwa huffed at the thought. Him trying to impress Kim Hongjoong? Preposterous, he was dressing as impeccable as he would any other day and if so happen that he put a little more makeup or his best jacket that he never uses before meeting him that was merely coincidence. “I have no intention of continuing this little charade after we have attained our goal, this is nothing but a smart business move or a pastime.”

At that his phone vibrates a message from his date, a cute selfie of him in class and a witty caption along the lines of how he couldn’t wait for it to be over to meet him. Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile lightly at the other’s impatience.

“If you say so. I mean you look pretty whipped to me, but clown yourself away hyung.” Mingi answered with a laugh.

If looks could kill mingi would have died a thousand times over in the following seconds, in reality though it only had him laughing harder though.

“Anyway,” Mingi started again clearing his throat to recover from the laugh fit. ”Eden-nim sent a report from his side.”

Seonghwa was all ears then, dropping the act and forgetting any of the former mockery.

“The enemy seems to have caught wind of someone with powers that could benefit them.” Mingi continued expression turning somber. “A high school kid, I actually saw him before a few times, he’s been living on the streets not far from here. We should get to him before they do or… You know.”

Seonghwa didn’t answer, the silence heavy over them as they mulled over what was in stake.

“We might have to change our approach from now on, we’re too low on info.” Mingi finally said breaking it.

“I get it, it’s time for me to pick up my own weight. Thankfully this new alliance should work in our favor.”

“You mean Wooyoung?”

“Yes, he can be in charge of distractions instead of me. The hero kid that was after him attracts attention easily and he’s the only one of us that doesn’t get actually harmed by it so it’s convenient for now.” Seonghwa explained.

Mingi didn’t seem too excited about that, Stardust had him on edge for the time he couldn’t see him. It was easy for Eclipse to hold him back, but having the hero blindly trying to push him away had both of them in panicking to avoid skin. He couldn’t imagine how Woo must feel actually receiving these attacks.

But that wasn’t all there was to his worry. “We are on thin ice you know, if our ruckus becomes too much they might come for us. Both us and those self proclaimed heroes.”

“I know. Just… We just need a little more time. The kid they are looking for could possibly change everything, so let’s focus on that.” The older pushes it, not really wanting to think this through. He was getting way over his head with the villain stuff and as much as he didn’t want to admit it might be getting out of control.

Seonghwa walks out of the house way more stressed than he wanted to be when meeting Hongjoong. The weather was great, sunny and breezy, but honestly he felt like he couldn’t appreciate it anymore. As he passed by the flower shop a block away from their house the girl that tended to the shop greeted him on his way making he stop to reply when he saw the flowers on her hand.

He didn’t quite remember the name, but they looked similar to the ones Hongjoong had once mentioned he liked.

“Would you like me to prepare a bouquet?” The girl asked noticing the target of his attention.

“No, I…” The thought of how Hongjoong might smile at them crosses his mind as he’s about to refuse. “Can I get just one?”

The request was a bit odd as those flowers grew in an interconnected bunch, but the girl skillfully peeled off a stem out of the pot, only a couple of flowers attached to it and wrapped them in a some colorful paper she had ready in one of her apron pockets.

“These are on the house, please come back once you decide to finally gift them a whole bouquet.” She handed it with a wink, making Seonghwa’s blush all over and ran off in a hurry after thanking her. 

As he held the flowers in his hands all the way through the subway ride his thoughts went in circles, most of them along the lines of curses and goddamnit, Mingi was right, he really was whipped. What was he supposed to do now?

☾ ⇀  ❖

“The guy you told me to look into…” The older man asked across the table at the coffee shop.

“What is it?” Yeosang asked worried.

“You know who he really is already, don’t you?” He asked cautiously. “Aren’t you going to report it to your parents?”

“Do you work for me? Or for my parents?” Yeosang snapped at him. Oh how he hated when he was viewed as an extension of his parents.

“I mean where does the payment come from, huh?” The man had the audacity to point out with a laugh. “I’m just kidding young master, you can count on my loyalty.”

“I’ll be sure to give you a hefty bonus, Ravn.” Yeosang replied sourly. He hated how he was still depending on their money and he was trying his best to plan a way out of it, but for the time being he was gonna make the most of it.

“Well, I won’t decline it. Mom and dad won’t hear about it, don’t worry. Here’s what you asked for.” The detective handed him a envelope, cat like eyes watching Yeosang open it and skim through its contents. “Schedules, friends, credit card receipts… It’s all there. A very plain routine besides the whole double life part. If you wish for me to dig more into his past I can get that arranged.”

Getting a private detective to follow Wooyoung was kinda not okay, he got that. But he had no time to go after him when he had to work so many shifts and patrol all night. All the interaction he got was watching over him on his way home and it was just two blocks away from what he now knew was his studio.

“That’ll be enough, if I need anything else I’ll call.” Yeosang asked putting everything back inside and handing an envelope of his own. He would need to take his time to look through this, but there wasn’t enough time now.

“Please do and not just for easy jobs like this, you know what me and my team can do. I might even start giving you a discount, since I’ve been saving your ass so often.” Ravn answered while counting the bills inside what was handed to him, before leaving Yeosang back to his work.

☾ ⇀ ☉

  
  


Jongho had been running for far too long. He was too tired, too hungry, too cold and the last thing he needed was to get caught in the middle of a villain incident.

The lights in the subway station he had been hiding in the last few days flickered, then the voice came on the speakers and the kid just wanted to cry. Oddly the commands didn’t affect him, he had to come out of his hiding nook to confirm the whole thing was actually happening, but there was no denying it as the people flocked orderly to the main hall. It was eerie, but Jongho didn’t stop to dwell in it. He bolted towards the stairs, still in survival mode like he had been the whole couple of past months and not wanting to waste his luck.

The stairs stood tall in the middle of an entrance hall, spiraling around an elevator that was useless when it came to rush hour and towered over quite a few floors in height. Jongho knew better than risking being trap in a confined metal box, regardless of it being empty right then, so he just focused on getting to the bottom steps thanking god for his good stamina.

A quarter of the way there suddenly a force tugged on his shirt halting him with a strong pull backwards. He didn’t see anything around him, the stairs still clear in front of his eyes. He regained balance by positioning his feet back and throwing himself forward to catch his weight, or at least he should have, but then why was he still falling? Why was the ceiling coming into his vision? Something restricted his arms and he couldn’t brace himself. He felt the panic flooding him, the scary feeling of missing a step and it didn’t make any sense.

The floor didn’t hit his back as hard as he expected with barely any impact as if being let down gently by whatever force had their grip on him. He felt himself get pulled up, the feeling of arms around his sides even if he saw nothing ahead and immediately started thrashing around. 

This couldn’t be happening right now, he thought. Was this work of the ones chasing him? Or was it one of those creeps with powers he saw on tv? Why couldn’t anyone leave him alone already. He hated himself so much for having a power right then, for always getting caught up in these situations.

A black blur flew over his vision, something he barely processed as a person kicking whatever was on top of him. Suddenly two people were fighting next to him on the floor and he was just so confused, so scared. He was just a kid with nowhere to go and right then he just wanted to get to damn stairs. He felt like this was his limit, he had held his tears even as he ran away from home and spent his Christmas alone in the harsh snow, but at that moment pushing himself up to start running again his eyes watered and blurred.

"Kid! Here!"

Jongho looked perplexed as if he had seen a ghost, getting yelled at to hurry up got him moving again. It might as well have been a ghost because he was so sure that he had killed that guy. It had haunted him non-stop the last months.

Halfway through the stairs stood the stranger that had helped him first escape, the one that he thought he killed by mistake, the one that lived at the building in front of his high school in the apartment that had a varanda full of plants and mismatched little christmas lights sparking through them and that had been there to witness the last normal day Jongho had before this mess all started, the day he fucked up and used his powers.

And now again there he was extending his hand and rushing him as he made his way up the endless steps. Jongho could believe the man could be his actual guardian angel at that point. As the fight downstair sounded louder with more people joining in, the pair of feet coming up the stairs with him also multiplied. Jongho grabbed the familiar stranger's hand without a second thought. He didn't know what to think of either group of people around him, but he knew he could trust that guy. He had no other choice by now, he felt like he couldn’t do this alone anymore.

"Run up to the central library three blocks from here. I'll meet you there later when it's safe." San spoke hurriedly in a hushed tone over his ear as he pulled the kid closer just to push him up on his way again right away.

"What about you?" Jongho asked, panic and fear clear in his voice.

"I'll be fine, just go!" San ordered firmly and turned back, leaving no space for arguing.

Eclipse tried to get past San being as non confrontal as he could, but San didn't relent on trying to stop the big guy in the short space they had there. It was a hazardous position and as much as Mingi tried not to harm his friend, he really needed to get past him right then he had no time for this. If only he didn’t get put that stupid handcuff on one of his wrists he could’ve gone by without being seen. It wasn't long before something went wrong, a slip up and one of them was falling beyond the railing, plunging towards the concrete floor several floors beneath them.


	11. Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you…” San asked trailing off, not sure he could say the words.  
“...kill them?” Stardust finished saying it out loud for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a long time and future updates might as well, with all that is going on around the world right now times are really tough on all of us, but writing does provide me some solace and hopefully someone that reads this can escape for a second, be entertained and feel the slightest bit better. Stay safe everyone.

Jongho was in every way, shape or form normal.

There was nothing that indicated otherwise. He was an only child with two good loving, if not a bit too distant, parents, distant enough that his disappearance wouldn’t cause them irreparable pain and for that Jongho was glad, and a mundane home life. 

At school he was an average student, exceeding in some subjects and failing in others, up until high school he managed to fly under the radar completely. He had normal hobbies like playing video games, going to the gym twice a week and he participated on the school’s choir over the weekends.

All in all Jongho was pretty normal, no one would’ve guessed he had a power brimming just under his skin, crying out to be freed. Sometimes Jongho wished he didn’t know about it either.

When did he first noticed it?

As a kid, when he really wanted to have a fish pond in his backyard just like the one they had at his mom’s work and he knew just the place to dig up for water to come out, was Jongho conscious of that? Or was it during second grade when his parents found him hiding under the bed in the morning, terribly scared of an earthquake that never came, only to see it reported on the news as a curious fact, an earthquake so weak that couldn’t possibly be felt by anyone else.

Jongho tries with all his might to forget all this tiny anomalies only to rediscover them all over again whenever he closes his eyes and can feel the earth under him, from the life crawling inside the dirt down to the layers of molten lava and back up to the giant stones floating above his head. 

Sometimes it’s comforting, it gives him the feeling that he belongs to something more, something bigger than himself that wraps around and engulfs him. 

At other times though, Jongho walks through the park and the pebbles by his feet scoot out of his way as if avoiding him, just like everyone else he knows and he can’t help but think that actually he might not belong anywhere at all.

☉  ⇀  ⚘

The subway station that San usually had to go through after work had completely stopped. Gates closed, train halted and the halls all empty. A voice came through the sound boxes, everyone could hear it clear as day. Seemed like a grouper was spotted by the all mighty Cardinal and he decided to close the whole station on a whim. 

Wasn’t this asshole getting too much of a god complex? Or maybe the theory that he was using this whole thing as a cover up was true. The villain had started his acts with a very stable pattern on who to punish, but with time it started to become erratic and without a rule to it, unpredictable. 

Maybe it was meant as the start of a fear campaign, no matter how small the crime the thought of being caught by the villain would make people think twice before committing it. That was one way of taking it, but other guesses continued to be thrown around online and no one had any real grasp on the situation yet. 

Well San couldn’t care less about reasons, the whole prospect just made him uneasy either way. Someone flaunting a power like that was gonna get caught by those creepy suits real soon. 

The crowd moved around him following the power laced voice, but San didn’t particular felt inclined to do what he was told somehow. He guessed his power protected him. That was usually the explanation for everything odd in his life, so he didn’t question anything surrounding it anymore. 

Instead he thought focused on running for an exit, the possibility of not having to waste his Thursday night sitting around a cold eerie badly lit platform after working all afternoon propelling him more than any fear the villain could instill in him.

It didn’t take long to reach the entrance hall running through empty hallways, but San’s bad luck struck timely as always as the sound of a fight happening right by the stairs resonated loud and obnoxious to his ears. Someone was being chased, if the yells of ‘ _ Don’t let him escape! _ ’ and ‘ _ Go after him, I got this _ .’ were any indication and of course whoever they were after had the same escape route idea as him. 

San was about to turn around and look for another way out when he saw the kid. The one that had been eating away at the corners of his mind with worry for the last month, that had him going out of his way and down to soup kitchens and roaming deep into parks late at night just in case he was there and needed help. 

He was clearly trying to run away again, his situation only seemed to get worse every time San spotted him and he just felt that same need to help him again, regardless of the risk for himself. What was the worse it could happen? He couldn’t die anyway and all in all San wasn’t as afraid of men his age flaunting their powers around as he was of those creepy agents that he was used to seeing hunting people like him.

His body was moving before San even made the conscious decision to. The kid made it to the stairs and he needed to stop whoever was after him, he needed to send him somewhere safe, he needed to learn his name and find a way to meet up again… So many things he needed to do blurred through his head that it almost felt empty as his body focused on running ahead.

Catching up and grabbing the kid’s hand relief washed over San as he saw recognition light up the younger’s eyes.

"Run up to the central library three blocks from here. I'll meet you there later when it's safe." San spoke in a rushed over the kid’s ear in a hushed tone as he pulled him closer before pushing him up and forward again. 

"What about you?" Jongho asked, panic and fear clear in his voice.

"I'll be fine, just go!"

The guy running after them finally reached him. It wasn’t The Cardinal or Mist as he expected and they didn’t look like they wanted to really fight their way through which drove the two of them into an awkward dance of limbs trying to avoid and block each other, but as it became obvious San wasn’t backing down the autercation became rougher. He felt fingers grabbing onto his shirt, right above his right shoulder, before getting yanked forward, but San would not bulge so easily and tried mimicking the move to regain balance by pulling his adversary on his own accord. San would have rather gotten into a fist fight compared to this, he didn’t expect to win against someone that size even with the basic self defense he knew, but at least it would be quicker and easier compared to the stumbling messes that they were trying to make of one another. 

However if not for the hesitation San wouldn’t have gotten so close to the one he was fighting against, close enough to notice how familiar his eyes looked even under a heavy layer of dusty brown eyeshadow and a black mask covering the rest of his features. 

Realization slowed San down.

Only one person he knew matched this face with the body type. 

Before he could connect the dots properly the world was spinning and San was falling.

⚘  ⇀  ☉

As soon as he opened his school locker a mountain of trash crumbled out onto the floor. Jongho didn’t blink at that. Or maybe he did blink, a few too many times to push away something building up behind his eyes, but he didn’t acknowledge the recurring reaction anymore. This happened way too often to let it get to him. There was nothing of real use in his locker anyway, he knew better than that. 

Yet Jongho still came to check it every day hoping he wouldn’t need to crouch down and pick up the dirt formerly stuffed inside. That maybe that was the day he could safely leave his heavier books there, the ones he wouldn’t need till his last class that weighted on his shoulder like a reminder.

High school was tough for virtually everybody not just for him, but he still wondered when did the world started to lose it brightness, when the eyes around him became vicious. He wondered how much he could stand before he snapped, before he made the rumors about him worse. Before the crushed metal on his locker’s door wasn’t caused by shutting it a bit too hard. Before it wasn’t just his locker that was busted open in the morning.

☉  ⇀  ⚘

Laying on the cold white ceramic floor San died. Waking up to look directly at the night sky, partially blinded by out of sight streetlights and feeling the rough moist pavement under him was disorientating to say the least. Did those assholes just dumped his body on the street?

Don't get him wrong, that was the best possible outcome considering he could just conveniently walk away like this, but they didn't even have the trouble of finding a dumpster or covering him up. What about calling an ambulance, weren't those vigilantes there to witness his fall? Did no one care? A soft whine left his mouth at the thought, dry throat hurting with it.

“Where am I?” San mumbled to no one in particular, his eyes trying to focus hopelessly. The damp asphalt under him was harsh against his bones and he felt his skin sticky with something he could easily recognize as blood rather than humidity.

Waking up after dying was always an experience. He hadn’t understood yet the pattern between ways to die and the time it took to come back. Sometimes it was quick and instant, others it took him whole periods of time and beyond that it took some effort to sort out the jumbled mess of stray thoughts and memories mixed in with the leftover adrenaline and exhaustion.

“We had to move you, the station was getting swarmed with police.” A voice besides him answered and San immediately jolted up onto his feet, full panic mode at the realization he wasn’t alone.

Three people were there as well, two of them close to him and another one off in the distance, most likely keeping watch. San recognized the uniform from the news as those people the city had deemed as heroes, but with wearing such similar clothing San couldn’t tell them apart, especially since he never paid them too much attention to begin with. He always strove to be as far as possible from that type of situation after all.

"You..." One of the black clad figures started asking, quickly grabbing onto his collar when he tried moving away. "What were you doing there? Are you one of them?"

"One of them? What? You mean one of those super villains? Me?" San answered out of breath, fear and a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Be careful." The guy behind the two heroes called out. "He has a power."

The grip in his shirt tightened. Things were not looking good for San.

"Explain yourself." The one holding him demanded, his tone threatening and eyes sharp.

"It's not-" San’s voice was failing, the panic still making it hard to breath. "It's not like you'll believe me anyway."

"Try us." The second hero spoke up for the first time, his tone flat and voice deeper but softer in contrast to the sharp attitude he was being threatened with by the first one.

"Those villains- they were after someone. You saw them, right? They were running after him.” His words came out strained and he wondered if there was a way to die out of sheer panic and exhaustion because he was really needing a body reset again right now.

“Who?” The apparent leader asked, not sparing any time for him to gather himself. Intimidation seemed to be his sole strategy for this interrogation and as simple as it is, it was definitely working.

“Who? Ahn- I- I- I don’t know.” San really hadn’t let that sink in till now, saying out loud made it dawn on him how he had been running all over town and risking himself for some random teen he didn’t even know anything about. Not that he’d tell them even if he knew the kid’s name, but San actually really didn’t.

Perhaps he was avoiding thinking before acting lately because he knew how ridiculous it sounded, pushing himself to move before accessing the risks. It didn’t seem like his answer pleased the hero holding onto him, making San sound even more suspicious in his eyes. 

“I mean I know who they’re after, I just don’t know his name. I know how it sounds, but a lot of people have been coming after this innocent kid for a while now and I just couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I just want to keep him safe.” San tried to plead with his eyes, for them to believe in him or just let it go.

The Hunter did finally let him go at that, releasing his grip and San promptly slid to the ground against the wall behind him, taking that second to calm himself. His captor turned away towards his group after seeing that he made no move to flee.

“Do you believe him?” He heard him ask the others in a whisper. Words probably not intended for San to hear, but he had a good hearing, perhaps slightly better than the normal.

“If he’s being honest then it could be the key to finding out The Cardinal’s true intentions.” The third guy, the taller one without an uniform, commented and then continued on to add. “And he does sounds like both of you, I’m inclined to believe him.” 

A silence followed that, San didn’t dare to look up instead focusing on his own breath, now steadying. 

“Don’t you guys hear yourselves? The heroic motivational speech is practically the same. And like you two I doubt he’s gonna stop showing up, we might as well welcome him to the team.”

“You’re too loud! And too welcoming, we can’t trust him just like that.” The leader scolded.

A silence again.

“Hey” The second softer voice, Stardust he guessed by now, called him back to reality. “You have a superpower, right?” 

“Ahn…” San wasn’t sure he liked where this was going.

“Don’t lie to us, we already know that you do.” The leader added quickly, crossing his arms to his chest.

“I do, yes.” San said, starting to shield himself mentally for what was about to come.

“How about you show it to us?” The less aggressive hero of the duo asked as he crouched in front of him.

San only stared in silence and seeing that he had no intention of answering the other continued. “Here, I’ll start.”

He pulled one of his black gloves off and lifted his now bare hand between the two of them, fingers fluttering in no particular pattern. Soon swirls of golden powder raised up from the tip of his digits and formed intricate shapes that vaguely reminded San of the outdated wallpaper on his grandma’s fancier guest bedroom, delicately settling in the air for a second before disappearing into more golden dust. ”Now it’s your turn.”

This one was clearly the good cop to The Hunter’s bad cop, and the technique he was using was one San had seen a thousand times over as a pedagogy major. He admitted the trick was mesmerizing, but not enough to distract him like it would a child and “going first” wasn’t enough for San to immediately trust him either.

“It’s nothing something I can show.” San answered slowly, trying to work out an excuse to get out of this. 

“Don’t need to be shy, can you tell us anything about it at least?” Stardust tried.

Maybe San came off as being embarrassed to the hero, but that wasn’t the issue. San wasn’t shy, usually. In fact he was one of the most bubbly out-there type of person you’d ever meet. But no one would be able to tell if they met him the last few days.

Because when his powers was involved it just all came back to him. All the inner issues San usually pushed back surfaced and he just couldn’t keep up the carefree persona he so carefully enforced upon himself. He bet the expression he was making must’ve looked miserable to Stardust’s eyes at that moment.

San considered for a minute through the negative fog that started to cloud his mind. If they were expecting him, or better yet not him but his power, to be of any help like the tall guy seemed to think then tough luck, because it was the most useless power they could get. He couldn’t heal anyone but himself. And honestly he didn’t even 

to be healed most of the time, the power had a mind of it’s own quite clearly.

Moreover, he couldn’t die. There was no threat they could try against him, so there was no merit in telling them his secret. The more people that knew about it the worse, because secrets spread and between the seven powerful people that had been gathered he was sure all the wrong attention was on them already, he didn’t need to risk more.

The boy in front of him waited patiently for him to come out of his own head and San was sure Stardust meant well, but he had enough of this charade already. He wasn’t even supposed to be here, involved in all this. After all of his grandparents did for him to live a normal life, he shouldn’t be taking so much risk. 

“No I can’t.” He said finally, already getting up and having decided to end this.

“Wait!” The boy called out reaching to grab his wrist with both hands from his spot on the floor.

San didn’t have time to avoid it, not seeing the motion until he had already felt the hand wrapped around his pulse. He only looked back for a second, seeing Stardust’s moonlit eyes widen in realization and then feeling the horrifying pain burst through his forearm.

He was sure he screamed, but San couldn’t even hear himself properly. The pain was like nothing he felt before, as if the edge of his skin was getting bit and pulled and it burned like molten lava was being poured on it. 

His vision blurred, and he barely felt himself fall weightlessly onto the floor, the world tipping before him. 

Voices around him spoke in a rushed, someone repeatedly apologizing and they were undeniably crying. Someone else was panicked, “Is it supposed to be that bad?” they asked, “Is he exaggerating?” they relentlessly questioned but their tone made it obvious that they were more panicked than actually doubtful. 

There was also this incessant noise over them, high pitch piercing through the night’s silence desperately. It finally stopped, the back of his mind noting that it must have been his own cries. San was already too lost to his own stupor to notice long arms wrapping around him, lifting him off the ground bridal style.

The last thing he remembered noticing was the unmistakable feeling of his pulse just plain stopping. He knew that generic cause of death, when something happened that his body just couldn’t heal, it gave up and reset like clockwork. San welcomed the darkness with open arms.

⚘  ⇀  ☉

Weren’t they a little too old to fight him over his lunch money? Jongho just couldn’t understand bullies at his age, weren’t they mature enough to see right from wrong? Or maybe they felt smart, big and strong, picking on kids like him and not getting caught for it. The younger thought it only made they seem shallow, simple minded in the worst of ways.

At the start of high school no one would come close to him, Jongho was pretty strong after all and it was a known fact how heavy the weights he lifted at the gym could get. Things just were always so light for him, it was hard to find something that felt heavy in his hands. Controlling his strength had become a constant problem by that age and he struggled to keep up the fragile appearances that he was normal.

But as time passed groups started to form, the awkwardness of new students fading and ill-intentioned kids recognizing each other as birds of a feather. His slip ups became too many, it could only lead to nothing else than being a target. The intimidating horror stories that he started with for his strength now mixing with lamer ones like the way sometimes there was a deafening buzz that no one else heard but him or how other students felt uneasy and lightheaded around him. 

Now that they had strength in numbers the bullies no longer had a second thought when approaching him, but Jongho truly believed he could get to graduation if he just took it quietly, defended himself the bare minimum to keep them at bay. Of course he was wrong.

Getting into a fist fight with one of them, a cigarette burn that he avoid, the writings in his desk, the thumbtacks in his shoes when he came back from gym class… Jongho thought he was doing okay in holding back, he thought he was doing fine. Just a few more months. A few more months and it was all over. A few more months and he was free.

That day was different. All four of them, or was it five? They brought the metal bats they used to play baseball not two classes ago. Jongho put up a good fight, if they weren’t cowards then maybe he might’ve won even, the gym teacher he had lunch with would be proud. 

What was he thinking when he fell down? When the back of his head hit the pavement, when the kicks started, sharp pain shooting through his stomach, his lower back, down and up and everywhere what was he thinking?

_ Why they brought bats if they were just gonna kick him down? Ah no there it is. Someone just tested it against his head. And now his shin. It didn’t seem as efficient in his opinion. Were they gonna stop by the time the bell rings again or were ditching class to beat him into a pulp more entertaining? He’d have to skip going to vocal class today, or the gym tomorrow. _

Monotone, distracted thoughts, he had to keep it up. Monotone. Distracted. The pain. Distracted, distracted.  _ What did he have for lunch today anyway _ , he couldn’t remember.  _ He was gonna throw it up soon _ . The pain, the pain. _ He had to not think. Or rather he had to keep thinking. _ His thoughts were getting jumbled, mashed together as the pain only got worse, not numbing for a second. The fog in his mind was too much to fight against. 

_ What an unlucky day to wear chains, _ Jongho thought as he heard the choking.  _ The school would have to buy new bats, _ he thought as the crumpled metal hit the floor. Now he was numb. Now he could think again. He could control it again. But it was too late.

Sirens in the distance snapped him out of it, making him move. Who called the cops, why… His eyes met a pair of frightened ones, looking down on him five, six floors up from a fire escape full of plants and mismatched little Christmas lights, the same one he could see from the chemistry lab every Friday. He called the cops, he had seen everything. Jongho ran.

☉ ⇀ ⚘

San woke up slowly a second time, a laziness all too familiar from his latest death drowned by a sea of soft blankets, the fuzzy material tickling his bare skin. It made him wonder when did he even took most of his clothes off, he was sure he had died with them on and then all at once memories of the night before flooded him. 

At that he finally opened him eyes and sat up with a jump, wearily taking in his surroundings. The room San woke up in was nowhere he recognized, white walls, white sheets to a double sized bed and white tapestry covering the dark wooden floor. Tall windows to his side let in sunlight that bounced of all the white and blinded his fogged eyes momentously. It all looked very posh, the spacious bed and the quality of the soft fabric covering him making him feel out of place.

Finally he noticed a boy sitting by the window, blankets wrapped around his frame as well, jarring black ones that overfilled the chair he was on and oddly fit the landscape’s design. Holding onto a mug the other stared outside, not yet noticing San had woken up or perhaps only pretending to be oblivious in order to give him a moment to situate himself.

“Good morning.” The boy said finally looking at him. 

San recognized the voice from the day before. Now the hero didn’t wear a mask or anything which confused the immortal greatly, showing his whole face unabashedly, including a certainly very recognizable birthmark right besides one of his eyes, now uncovered from any makeup.

It took San another moment to realize the other also looked like he had just woken up, from the messy hair to the cozy pajamas and a yawn that left his lips as soon as he was done speaking, and it left him wondering if the hero had slept all night on that chair or if he had just gotten there.

“Good mor...Where am I?” San started answering as an instinct before the pressing question overtook his lips.

“I brought you to my apartment after you fainted last night. Although I supposed fainted isn’t the right word for it.” Stardust replied.

“So you kidnapped me.” San flatly accused him.

“Would you rather I left your body out on the street?” The other didn’t even blink at the accusation unfazed.

San quieted down after that. No, he would not. It took him a while to speak again, Stardust only sipped on his coffee patiently watching him with soft eyes that seemed a bit too intense by nature.

“You are... Stardust?” San tried again.

“Yes, it- it hurt, didn’t it? I’m sorry about your arm.” Stardust seemed uncomfortable, as if attributing the name to him also brought up his guilt with it. He averted his gaze back to the view outside and San frowned at that, his eyes were somehow comforting like a lifeline he could hold onto through this confusing situation. It felt like he’d float away on all this empty white and sunlight without them to focus on.

San didn’t answer, he hadn’t even thought about that part of yesterday yet and now that he remembered it had hurt so bad he would rather forget it happened. San did that a lot with this type of memory, shoved it deep deep down, repressed it and never thought about it twice.

“I think- maybe your power had something to do with it, actually. Of course it hurts, but I never had someone react like that before.” Stardust spoke, now finally looking back at him and San regretted missing his gaze because his eyes were now so penetrating and made him want cower under it. “What even is your power?”

Again that question. San wouldn’t answer it, he really wouldn’t. “Why does it even matter to you?”

“Honestly, it doesn't. But The Hunter is suspicious of you. We did find you in the middle of a fight, you know.” Stardust answered again unbothered by the attitude.

“I told you already, I was just trying to protect that kid.” San pouted getting tired of the repetition. “I thought we went over that already.”

“From the villains?”

“No, from-” San caught himself before he could say much more.

“From...?” Stardust trailed off in question.

“From something else.” He wasn’t sure if he should say it, or if he could bring himself to talk about it out loud even if San couldn’t really think of a reason why not. It was just such a taboo topic in his own life that San couldn’t remember ever talking explicitly about it before, only cut off phrases and meaningful silences with his grandparents.

“Someone else found out he has a power?” Yeosang expertly deduced, San confirmed it with a nod. ”Someone that would capture and use him without any regards for his safety, I assume.”

Stardust seemed good in catching onto his thoughts without words. A bit too good, he thought as the cozy looking boy continued to undress the situation from his nest of fluffy blankets. “And you too, am I right? You went through it and now you’re trying to help some kid that you found going through the same?”

San just stared back not agreeing nor denying it. Was he that easy to read? He felt exposed under Stardust’s pitying gaze, like the other could see right through him and he didn’t know if that made things easier or not.

“I went through the same, so I would know.” Yeosang finally broke the long lasting eye contact, words directed out the window yet again rather than at his guest. A long silence passed through then, the hero’s eyes flickering as he watched a few birds on the neighboring roof before he spoke up again, eyes stilled outside as if San had just become an observer to his monologue.

“I was locked away for a long time, it’s a common occurrence for people like u I imagine. And a golden touch is very valuable, a miracle even. My parents wouldn’t let their goose that laid golden eggs out of their sight.”

“Your parents?” San asked. Those didn’t seem like the villains he’d imagine for that type of story.

“They are in the business for pretty rocks and shiny metals. You can guess how ecstatic they were when they found out their only son was actually a gold making machine. They were also always very paranoid that someone would come and steal me away, and rightfully so I guess, so because of that they kept me locked up in some safe house away from “danger” for most of my teenage years. I suppose it was kinder than some jail cell or science experiment if someone else caught me, but it was my own version of a prison.”

San let out an small strangled noise at the thought of his own temporary prison and the one he would no doubt be sent to in case he had been taken at that time. He didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to think about it. His fist curled onto themselves and kneaded the blanket nervously as Stardust continued.

“I had a maid that came daily to cook and dust the place, a guard that stood by the door unmoving his whole shift and another two that stood outside. They switched every 12 hours. And every week a few men would come with cheap scrap metal and plastic trinkets for me to turn golden. That was the only social interaction I was allowed. I had plenty of books to uphold the level of education they expected of me as their heir, but no phone or anything of the like. ”

“When you’re a kid… You behave, do as your told and…. I guess- I guess you- I- I expected to be rewarded for it. To get some parental approval or basic family love or whatever. I was quite young, completely isolated and the few people around me would tell me anything to just get me to do my job without making a fuss, and I would believe them. But once I grew up I understood. To be kept like this... I was more of a property than anything.” Stardust spoke, voice slipping and getting caught in some parts.

“I didn’t see my parents often, even though at the start I would keep being told if I did a good job they would show up. They would let me out on holidays, but only to be taken to events and keep the good rich family appearances. It was more of a duty as their heir than anything.“

“As I got older I eventually got more rebellious and finally started to notice that they were actually afraid, that I wasn’t seen as their son or even a person, more like a beast they had to keep under control. And that virtually there wasn’t anything actually stopping me from getting out of there if I _really _ wanted to.” Stardust paused after stating that, letting the meaning behind it linger in the air.

“Did you…” San asked trailing off, not sure he could say the words.

“...kill them?” Stardust finished saying it out loud for him. “It crossed my mind, starts to feel like the only way out, doesn’t it? But… I grew attached, I suppose. After growing up so isolated those people that took care of me were the only constant in my life. And they weren’t evil, they were mostly kind. I’m sure I looked very pitiful to them, alone in that room watching the window view for more hours than you can begin to imagine.”

San hummed along in understanding. He was sure he must’ve looked pitiful too, drugged out and locked up. He certainly felt so. But those doctors were anything but moved by it.

“But I understood that this curse that got me locked away to start with was actually the only power I had in that situation, so I started training how to properly control it. For the first time I tried to understand it beyond just hatred and bitterness for causing all of that. I guess part of me was procrastinating during that time, not waiting to use it against anyone. Even if I did escape I couldn’t go too far by myself, without any help and being hunted down. And I knew they would go on a hunt for me, no doubt.”

“And what changed? You seem to be very well off right now.” San pointed out.

“Those guards, one day all at once they all changed.” Stardust replied simply.

“They helped you?” San asked, not being able to guess what he meant.

“No, not really. Although I guess indirectly they did help me.” The other muse as he cleared it up. “They disappeared, all the people that had taken care of me for over ten years, executing their duties without missing a beat like clockwork, suddenly weren’t there anymore. New people showed up to take their places. At first I didn’t think much of it, but then it wasn’t a month before they changed again. They kept getting replaced and one day I finally understood. It was all Mist’s fault.”

“Huh? The thief?” San felt blindsided by the sudden turn.

“Yes. See I said my family worked with jewelry, right? And obviously they are willing to resort to not so legal ways to profit. Mist is smart, he knows he can’t get charges against him by stealing what is already illegal property. So my parents were targets. It was fairly amusing catching them stress over it whenever I had the chance to meet them, but if that wasn’t indication enough my workload had practically doubled since he started hitting our stores.”

“And what does that have to do with you escaping?” San asked,still confused.

“The people around me weren’t babysitters or servants. They were trained security. Third party security at that. The attacks were getting past their teams, so they were getting fired and replaced. The new guards weren’t used to dealing with me as easily and by then I knew exactly how to play them without hurting anyone for real. I got out, walked right into my father’s office and struck a deal. I’d get rid of Mist for my freedom. And a large quantity of money, of course. It actually involved a lot of intimidation, in fact my father has a pretty neat golden palm print tattoo on his neck from that meeting if you know what I mean. Beyond that they’re still trying to give off the impression that I’m under their command as it seems, which can get pretty annoying, but it works for now.”

“So that’s your reason for doing the whole hero thing.” San concluded.

“Yes and no, It’s not... It’s a bit more complicated, there’s more to it than that. But you could simplify it like this. I’m doing my best to become independent in the meanwhile. So I don’t put all my chances on Mist.” Stardust answered resting his head on his hand, elbow against the armrest.

_Baby steps_, Yeosang told himself every time he had to take an order or answer a customer even though it spiked his anxiety through the roof just talking in front of strangers like that. His shifts didn’t even pay enough to rent his own place, but he was trying and he had to start grounding himself somewhere.

“Now your turn. A story for another. Don’t you find that fair?” Stardust asked, the ghost of a cocky smile at the corner of his lips.

San groaned. He hadn’t agreed to this. He had to admit this was a good interrogation tactic, he’d feel like an asshole if he didn’t say anything after the clearly hard to tell story he was just told. It did make him inclined to trust Stardust, as much as he didn’t want to admit to it. He was undeniably caught in his trap.

“So that’s why you told me all that.” San practically whined, the comfy seating having him the slightest bit more loose than he’d normally be with a stranger. He braced himself for a moment before continuing, words rushing out of him. “I- I can heal. Very well. Infinitely. I’m basically immortal. There’s all there is to it.”

Stardust only hummed at the information, picking its implications apart silently.

“And I can’t heal others. Just myself.” San added quickly before the other got any ideas. “I’m basically the world’s greatest lab rat.”

Hopefully that made Stardust understand, even if he couldn’t get the right words to come out of his mouth. Made him understand that there was no value to San’s power other than to be used by malicious people. He wasn’t even sure it had any worth for himself, living with it proved itself worse than death at times. And it certainly wouldn’t be useful for their own heroic missions or whatever those obnoxious fights were. They all could just forget they ever met.

“The Hunter will come by in a couple of hours, a friend of ours will come with him as well.” Stardust finally said, breaking the silence. San was about to ask to leave immediately, but got cut off as the other stood up. “If you really do care for that boy that escaped you should stay. It’ll help us both if we are all on the same page about helping him, don’t you agree? After all it seems the villains are trying to get to him as much as you are, so you can expect to keep bumping into us and them from here on out.”

San hated that he was right.

“I’ll give you some time to gather yourself. The door on your left is a bathroom and the wardrobe is filled with clothes I’ve never so much as touched, you can just take anything you need. The ones you were wearing before were ripped and bloody, I don’t think they are salvageable. Take your time and come out when you’re ready. There’s still some coffee left if you plan on staying.” 

“My name is Yeosang by the way.” Yeosang fidgeted by the door frame, eyes shifting around awkwardly. “You already know my face and my story, so I see no point in not introducing myself properly. Don’t use it when the others are here though.” 

“Okay.” Did the others not know his identity? Why did was he so open with San, he didn’t understand it. He felt inclined to trust him nonetheless. “I’m San.”

“Nice to meet you, San.” And with that Yeosang left San alone in the way too white guest room.

  
⚘  ⇀  ☾ ༄✩༄  ☽  
  


Wooyoung was having his lunch with Mingi and his roommate that Friday. He took precious time off his schedule, and got on a super long uber ride to a burger joint close to _their _ house yet both of them seemed lost in their own words, completely ignoring him. And that was boooring. It made Wooyoung want to yell out. 

And he did, startling both of the guys in front of him.

“Jeez, you’re even getting me down with you, lovesick suckers. Just go out there and resolve whatever is on your minds already, I didn’t come all the way here to watch you mop around. Hanging out with you two sucks.” He whined, his legs kicking back and forth mindlessly under his chair as he rested his head on the tabletop.

Seonghwa huffed exasperatedly in response, sounding muffled to Wooyoung as the younger’s arms covering his ears as they served as a pillow. Wooyoung had a long morning of training, the golden marks on his arms made him use long sleeves even as the weather warmed up and it made him even more exhausted. 

He didn’t really care for replying or checking in with Mingi’s roommate to be honest. Too bossy, too meddling, they were getting closer, but Wooyoung had no advice for a guy like this. And whatever love’s quarrel he had going Wooyoung frankly had no interest in.

Seonghwa fidget regardless, lost in his own world as he played with the strap on his phone. The little ceramic bunny reminding him how Hongjoong’s face brightened up when he suggested they get it, practically hurting his heart at the warm smile the hero had as he knotted it to his phone case, handling it like it was so precious and then lightly shaking it, smiling even wider at the tiny bell ringing. 

The villain liked Hongjoong, the thought hadn’t left his mind since Mingi had pointed it out. But now he was in trouble. He could try and wait until he didn’t need to be the Cardinal anymore to take their relationship any further, one day this would be over and they would still be together, however Seonghwa would always have this power and he couldn’t hide it from someone he expected to be part of his life, the power was part of him. So he decided he would tell, once everything was done. Seonghwa just needed a little more time. If he was hated so be it, but he had to tell. And it needed to come from him, Hongjoong couldn’t finding out any other way. Yeah, he would tell. 

Making up his mind didn’t stop the anxiety from settling deep into his heart. Focusing on anything else like having fun with Mingi and Wooyoung was hard when he couldn’t take his mind off of it.

“You don’t look too fresh either. In fact I’d say you’ve been mopping for weeks now, Woo.” Mingi pointed out as he munched on some french fries, being the only one not done with his food yet. 

Wooyoung hadn’t been in that great of a mood since Stardust first appear in his life to start with, and then working with The Cardinal annoyed him to no end, but...

Meeting Stardust as Wooyoung and not Mist had him feeling even lower than he usually did.

He just looked cool. Patrolling around, scaring away a thief without even flinching and then offering to to take him home. That picture perfect hero made him almost gag and he hated it. He hated the thought that Stardust was this knight in shining armor and he was the big scary monster that lived under the bed. He always knew he was in the wrong, but he didn’t like feeling that he was inferior, that there was someone out there greater than him.

Wooyoung wondered if Stardust was as unbothered as he always looked. If now that him as Mist was being more aggressive, if now that he was fighting back, the hero was as thrown off balance as Wooyoung was. He wanted to shake him, make Stardust cry or something. 

Wooyoung had marks all over his body as an incessant reminder, Stardust was practically living in his mind rent free, but what had Mist gotten on his side? Did Stardust go to sleep thinking of how to defeat him? Did he feel him constant, solid, heavy under his skin like Wooyoung did? Wooyoung doubted it, if anything Stardust seemed to not give him a second thought and it bothered him to no end.

And to top it all off he hadn’t met San in a while. God, he missed Sannie. It had been a few weeks since he last saw his partner in crime, who always seemed too busy for him nowadays doing God knows what, and he really needed it right then. Trying to meet out for lunch with Mingi and Seonghwa was an attempt to fill that blank, but it didn’t even come close when his friends were clearly too busy with their own self indulgent tragedies.

Mingi broke the younger’s train of thought excusing himself to take a call. Wooyoung noticed he’d been looking at his phone for a while, but he didn’t care about whatever afflicted his taller friend either. Any boy drama was better than no boy drama for the guy considering Wooyoung never saw him dating before. If anything it made Wooyoung happier to see him fret over his phone like this. Assuming it was a boy. But wasn’t it always.

Wooyoung sighed. Seonghwa sighed. Being evil sucked. They both reached over to steal the remaining fries.

Mingi entered the bathroom, taking a minute to check it was completely empty before turning to his phone again. It had been ringing for a few minutes now. Yunho’s name flashed on the screen. He meant to change the contact name to Aurora at some point, not wanting to expose him to Seonghwa any more than necessary, but hadn’t done it yet.

The first call he had missed it completely. The second time he let it ring hoping it’d go away, Mingi didn’t want to seem available for talking as Yunho needed to see him as an enemy. It rang a third time and he just denied that one. But then it rang a fourth and fifth time. Now it rang a sixth time and it was making him uneasy.

“Aurora?” Mingi answered finally, voice cracking the slightest bit.

“Huh? Who…?” Yunho voice came from the other side, he didn’t sound like he was expecting to hear his voice.

“You kept calling me.” Mingi replied flatly.

“Ah, did I?” The psych sounded distracted and… something else Mingi couldn’t quite place it, he didn’t think he ever heard his voice sound like that. “Is my roommate by any chance fighting The Cardinal right now?”

“No… Not at all.” Mingi spoke, uneasiness dawning on him even further.

“Haha, I see.” The misplaced laugh gave it away and finally Mingi placed the emotion, fear.

“Why?” He asked.

“No, nothing he just wasn’t answering the phone I-” Yunho replied, voice low almost a whisper.

“Do you think something happened to him?” Mingi was getting worried, if they weren’t the ones going against Yunho’s team then the only other option was too grim.

“No, no I…” Yunho sounded reluctant, trying to hold desperation that seeped through the cracks in his tone “I just... really needed to talk to him right now.”

A loud sound rang through the line, one Mingi didn’t expect anything good to come of.

“Yunho, are you okay? Do you need help?” He asked in a rushed, now worried time could be running out.

“I…” The other started answering, but his voice faded. Mingi waited, a few too long seconds passing in silence.

“Yunho?” A startled yelp sounded from the other line. Mingi was starting to get freaked out. “I can help you. Please, yo-”

The line went dead. Mingi brought his phone back from his ear, looking back at the screen startled. His lockscreen stared back motionless for a minute, then buzzed with a notification. A message from Yunho.

**Yunho**

**5:48pm**

Yunho shared his location with **you**.

☾ ༄✩༄  ☽  ⇀  ✧  
  


“What are you reading?”

Yunho was startled by the question, not really noticing when his roommate had entered their room nor expecting him back so earlier.

“Just an old yearbook, my mom mailed it to me.”

Hongjoong just hummed in reply, not bothering to inquire more. The older looked exhausted, and he should be after not sleeping all night because of the whole subway station incident happening and then going directly to class without blinking an eye. Yunho was expecting him to continue and go to work as usual, because that’s just the type of person Hongjoong was and no amount of persuasion would make him do the reasonable thing and just rest for once, but he was glad to see the older had changed his mind.

Or he should be glad. It made Yunho a bit guilty to think like that, but he was kind of hoping to be alone that afternoon. He wasn’t sure he wanted to share whatever his finds were with the hero. At least not yet. If he even found anything that was. 

He flipped a few pages ahead to a picture that had him and his old club mates doing a dorky pose, more willing to go through the embarrassment of showing his cringy teenage years than the the catalog of faces in his grade that he was looking at before, but the older just passed straight through him and went for his drawer, pulling out a towel and a new outfit.

“I thought you’d be at work right now, hyung. Is your shift starting later today?” Yunho tried to ask nonchalantly.

“No, I called in and asked to trade shifts today. Stardust still has that weird guy in his apartment and I don’t know how long he’ll be willing to stick around. I’ll just take a quick shower and then I’m going, you should come too. You know, just in case.”

Yeah, Yunho knew. A new power meant a new threat he had to figure out how to counter. The power of not dying didn’t seem like something they needed to really be worried about to Yunho, regardless he still got up and readied himself, quite faster than his hyung as usual, before going back to the list of faces in his book. 

Mingi, Mingi, Mingi…

It took him awhile to find it in the index, the alphabetical order resetting for each class in his year, but he did eventually, hidden inconspicuously somewhere in the third to last group of names. He was right about hearing the name before, it wasn’t just his imagination.

No clubs, not in the group picture for his class… He flipped around looking for his individual picture and… 

The apple thief. The invisible apple thief. He was sure it was him. Oh no. Yunho didn’t know what he was expecting, but this wasn't good. Or maybe it was. It depended through which perspective you looked at it from in reality. 

Was Yunho happy he found the invisible boy’s identity? Yes, he was ecstatic. He had no proof that that guy was the same from his childhood or the one here now, but now he had proof he wasn’t completely imagining everything around the incident including his face so maybe the thought that the three of them were one in the same wasn’t as far fetched as he had tried to convince himself it was. It was a lead to work with at least.

But remembering that he had gotten that name from a picture on Seonghwa’s -Hongjoong’s almost boyfriend- Instagram wasn’t a good look for the mysterious man that Yunho had yet to meet and that fact had a feeling of dread mixing in with the satisfaction inside him. 

He wondered how his aura would look like now if Eclipse were to see it. A mess for sure, it probably looked like a messy splash of colors that shouldn’t mix.

“Are you ready?” Hongjoong called out while grabbing a jacket and Yunho snapped out of his own head. He didn’t notice when the older had come back in the room.

“Sure, let’s go.” He threw the book back onto the box it came from. The psych would have to think about that later.

✧ ⇀ ☉

Jongho was hoping that maybe the aftermath would go in his favor. Maybe if the cops were not called it could have gone that way. He could see rumors spreading, everyone avoiding him even more, but none of those guys would be dumb enough to come close to him again and he could just ride that out till the end of the school year.

But the authorities didn’t let it slip by. Didn’t turn a blind eye like they did ninety percent of these cases. It wasn’t just a simple school fight or a gang altercation, five students were found scared shitless, burn marks were they had chains on their necks, bracelets on their wrists, one almost lost a finger to a distorted ring. What could’ve done that to metal bats? Who were they after to start with? 

The chase for their prey started and the Jongho that still had a limp on his step, bandages on the back of his neck and band-aids on his cheek and forehead was easy to single out. What excuses could he give the police, what could he say that matched the five idiots and still made mundane sense.

It took a while, long enough for him to calm down a bit and hope he was in the clear, but that was wishful thinking. That day when he got to school he knew something was wrong before he even stepped into the classroom. His gym teacher was there in the class along with his usual homeroom teacher. They were waiting.

Class didn’t start, the atmosphere was heavy and kids didn’t dare raise their voices beyond mere whispers, curious incessant mutters. He didn’t have anyone to mutter with, he noted numbly. He looked at the gym teacher. The teacher stared back at him. His eyes weren’t right, they just weren’t. Pity, anger, sadness, fear… He couldn’t point it out, couldn’t pick it apart, but it wasn’t directed at anyone else but him. 

The noisy street wasn’t noisy like in the early morning Jongho noticed. A knock on the door had all of the noisy kids silent. The teachers moved, both of them coming up at the door. A chance.

Jongho didn’t looked back as the girls sitting by the wall screamed in unison as he jumped through a window.

☉ ⇀ ✧ 

“Okay, San. Let’s go through yesterday’s events again.” The Hunter asked slowly, crossed legs and crossed arms tightening on themselves as he tilted his head. “You were just passing through, recognized the kid and tried helping him escape.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” San answered, his head low as his eyes focused on a cup of tea he held onto with both hands.

“And you didn’t just faint when you fell over the stairs, you actually died.” Hongjoong continued slowly, voice leaking incredulity. He did good passing it off as a snarky attitude rather than shock Yunho noted, the psych knew better though.

“Mhm, pretty sure I broke a bunch of bones too before dying.” San confirmed

“And what about the second time? When we were talking to you and you freaked out.” Hongjoong continued to ask, more hesitant now.

“I died again, I guess? No, I mean, I’m sure I died. But what kill me I’m not so certain, so I’m just guessing that was Stardust’s power.” San said, eyes squinting as he tried to piece the answer together in his head.

The atmosphere got a little heavy and Yunho didn’t need to look at Yeosang’s aura to imagine how tainted it must look, fear, shame and anxiety dimming the constant gold and graying the pink like a withering flower. 

The hero used his star shaped charm though, blocking Yunho out completely, clearly afraid to repeat the incident, and his eyes didn’t betray any emotion to any unknowing observer. He fidget just a little, The Hunter’s gaze trained now on him and San finally dared to peak up at the group. 

They must look intimidating all in black, masked and covered in obnoxious makeup. Hongjoong was slowly pushing an uniform onto Yunho piece by piece since he brought up having an alias for himself. He didn’t see why he had to wear things like gloves and chains around his neck, but whatever makes him happy the psych guessed.

Yeosang sighed, catching Yunho’s attention back from the the hem of his long coat, that he worried was gonna get caught on something by mistake as he paced slowly around the living room. 

Maybe if it did they all could laugh at it though and that would be way better than suffocating in all the fear untold in the atmosphere. Interrogations weren’t Yunho’s thing, he was starting to accept that as the stranger’s stifled aura swayed along his peripheral vision.

“I- I hurt people before with it.” Stardust started slowly, clearly uncomfortable. “It hurts of course, but the way you reacted was definitely different. Like it didn’t stop hurting even after I was away from you.”

“It didn’t stop. It kept burning like getting splashed with melted metal until I died.” San explained.

“Why? That’s not…” Yeosang struggled to find a word. “...normal.”

“I don’t know either, if I had to take a guess it could be because it’s just not something my body can actually heal. My power failing over and over again must’ve hurt more than the injury itself.” He tried, his tone lighter than Yunho would expect from someone analyzing their own death. “That or you just plugged a really important artery, I don’t know. I think I died of a heart attack in the end.”

Stardust flinched at the possibility, but accepted the answer nonetheless. If this guy didn’t know it, then there was no way for them to know it either. The prospect that his power could cause worse damage than his imagined worst case scenarios was daunting to say the least.

Silence dawned on them. Yunho awkwardly shifted as he leaned against one of the high windows. The sidewalk below looked so far away, falling down would surely hurt. He wondered if it hurt just as much when San fell last night. He wondered if it ever happened before. If it happened often.

“Okay, okay, okay. I got a question.” Hongjoong broke the silence, tone indicating he wasn’t as lost in tragic thoughts as his two companions. “How were you not affected by The Cardinal’s voice if you were just passing by?”

“The Cardinal’s power doesn’t affect me.” San answered. He seemed to catch himself after his voice had already left his mouth, scowling at the lack of better wording.

“Do you have any guess why? Or any proof for that matter?” The hero probed a little more unconvinced.

“I- I don’t know, I guessed it was my power.” San answered reluctantly. He knew how it sounded.

“That’s three for three, The Cardinal probably can’t control people with powers or else he’d have gotten that kid already anyway.” Yunho chimed in before Hongjoong went on a suspicious tirade. “And speaking of that kid. Stardust briefed us on the third party going after him. But that doesn’t explain our enemies joining in.”

“Bro, I don’t know either. Every time I meet that kid it gets worse. Bullies, agents, villains, you name it. I got no idea what’s happening at this point. All I know is that he has been on the run for a few months now and I just need him to stay put for a day while I figure out how to hide him.”

San was overflowing with frustration, certainly more than just altruism boiling under the topic that was this kid. His aura was the saddest grey even under the golden filter his power imposed onto it and Yunho could taste pure salt water coming from it so intensely that made him nauseous. 

“Maybe it would be a good time to start using this.” Yunho reached for a bracelet in his pocket, the usual tiny star already attached onto it.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Hongjoong called out, getting in between the two of them as Yunho was about to hand him the gift.

“What?” Yunho asked blindsided for a moment.

“Look, he dies a lot apparently, right?” He stared at San for confirmation.

“Ahn, yeah I guess.” San answered very confused.

“What if… I don’t know, what if you touch him and he... dies?” Hongjoong asked worriedly. “I mean he’s been revived so what if you cancel that?”

Yunho backed away deep in thought. Yeosang, seeing that neither Hongjoong nor Yunho intended to clarify anything, took the chance to quietly explain to San vaguely about the psych’s power, and about the tiny golden star, how it usually helped both them and Yunho himself if they used it.

“I see what you’re saying. I guess it depends how his power works, if it’s actively keeping him alive or if just gets activated when necessary.” Yunho thought out loud bringing a hand to his chin.

“Do you… feel your power?” Yunho tried asking unsure how to phrase it. “Like when it’s active and when it’s not?”

“I don’t think so? I never feel different or anything, I don’t think I would even realize I have a power if I never get hurt.”

The psych didn’t use to feel his power either, it took a lot of effort, trial and error to pinpoint the feeling of it and learn how to bend the energy to his will. Maybe San could turn it off himself like Yunho did when he really focused on it, maybe he could do more with it too and just hadn’t learned how to yet. 

Yunho felt the urge to investigate, but the empath quickly noticed that the whole musing about his powers didn’t make San feel comfortable at all and San’s negative emotions were making Yunho jittery, torn between the fun of a new puzzle to solve and the anxiety clouding his vision.

“Okay then, no touching for now.” Yunho dropped it for the time being, unsure how to navigate the topic any further right then.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking, specially since Stardust told us there’s a third party after you and that kid. How did they know any of you had powers? Did someone see you?” Yunho asked after another minute of thought. “See, I knew you had a power right away, because I can see that sort of stuff. Isn’t it logical that the enemy has someone like me as well? Or a way to track powers?”

“I’m not sure. I caught that kid using his powers by chance, but not even a month later they were locking down his school. Could be word of mouth, could be something else, all I know is that once they find out, they won’t stop hunting you down.” San answered sourly.

“If it’s a tracker then we need to learn how to hide any indication of superpowers, not only the kid, but you as well. Usually nullifying it also hides away it’s presence, what I can see of it at least, but for you I guess that might not be completely worth it. Right now I’m stumped, but if I have more time I can try thinking of something, so you should stick around and we can help each other.“ Yunho tried offering.

“You should stick around regardless, do you even have a plan for what you’d do once you find him? You can’t just keep him at your apartment if the crime scene is at your doorstep.” Hongjoong chimed in before the youngest could actually answer.

San shrunk down on his seat at the question. The youngest had an idea, he just wasn’t sure he actually wanted to go through with that. 

Staying with his grandparents on the countryside like he did throughout his high school years seemed out of the radar enough and he was sure the old couple would understand the situation, but… Did he really want to risk them like this? 

He at least needed to let this whole hunt cool down before going down there with the kid, to be sure they weren’t followed, and he had no idea how he was gonna hide him that long. They were right, he couldn’t do this alone.

“If you don’t have anything worked out you either join us or let us take over from here, you can just forget about it.” The Hunter was ruthless when it came to hero business. Yunho knew it was intended to protect uninvolved people, but he sometimes came off a bit too harsh in his opinion.

“I have no intentions of leaving that kid behind.” San replied in the most firm tone Yunho heard from him all day. It wasn’t an agreement, but Hongjoong seemed satisfied for now.

“That settles it then. Actually does any of us have a plan for what to do later? Might as well think it up while we are all here together.” The leader spoke up again, directing the question at the rest of the room this time.

“I have a place we can let him stay in.” Yeosang spoke up after a long silence. Everyone’s eyes darted towards him and Yunho could see the younger cringe internally at the undivided attention, but he continued nonetheless. “It’s not somewhere anyone would think to look for him and it has really high security, I’m sure it’ll work.”

That sealed the deal, San needed to be on their team if he wanted to accomplish anything.

  
✧ ⇀  ❖  
  


Yeosang wasn’t sure why he opened up to San. Maybe it was because he saw himself in him and some small part of Yeosang wanted to be like Yunho was to him, let that closed off reflection of himself know it was okay to have a power, that he didn’t need to be afraid. 

Not that Yeosang himself believed that yet, but he almost did when Yunho was around, and hopefully he managed to give off the same impression to San by opening up like that.

However as he rested by the window bench on his flat late at night, he could feel his pure intentions tainting the slightest bit. He finally sat down to look through the envelope he received days ago. Moonlight shined down on him through the fogged glass and he sipped on a mug of hot coffee even though it was way too late for it as he fumbled with the mismatched papers spread in front of him. 

Stardust didn’t expect San to be on them. He was just a stranger that they picked up in the confusion, what were the odds he’d be Wooyoung’s current best friend. Yeosang picked up a picture of them together and a weird feeling filled his chest. 

Maybe it was jealousy. Seeing their smiles prickled his heart, the hero didn’t remember smiling much after Wooyoung left his life, but he never felt jealous before so he wasn’t sure. Either way, that could be helpful. If he could get on San’s good side maybe that’d lead him back to Wooyoung. 

He felt small and vulnerable when it came to his old friend, maybe even a little pathetic that it was so hard to go to him on his own, without a hero persona to hide behind, as if even after not seeing the other for so long the villain still held so much power over him. 

Yeosang didn’t know what he’d do if he was rejected. He didn’t want to be alone anymore, he wanted to have his one and only friend back the way they were before he was taken away. 

It seemed like time had stopped for him since they were separate, Yeosang hadn’t grown or changed much inside, neither had he gotten close enough to trust anyone else like he did Wooyoung. What was a normal childhood friendship that kids had plenty to outgrow for him was a once in a lifetime thing up until now. And so he only built walls in await for the day things were back to normal and he could take them down, even though he knew that things did change and it probably could never be the same. 

As much as he was trying to accept it, not being able to have Wooyoung back, or rather the idealization of their old friendship back, scared him.

His phone buzzed beside him breaking his train of thought, almost falling off from its place besides his thigh before getting caught. The screen lit up with a message he didn’t really expect to receive at that hour.

**Hunter**

**12:34am**

Have you heard anything from Yunho?

I can’t reach him anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter this one. It fit so much angst lol. It took really long, which makes me wonder if maybe smaller chapters would be quicker, but I don’t think it would feel right to cut it up too much just because of the flow and pace I’m trying to keep going. Like the linearity of each section I write is not really in order, so if I post them separately I think it would become a bit confusing? And I’m already a bit worried if it’s already confusing the way it is haha… so I guess it might take a while between updates if chapters stretch out as much as this one, but I have everything planned up to the end, so don’t worry too much about it getting dropped, I haven’t disappeared or anything!

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr and twitter at youseissi if anyone wants to interact i dont bite i promise


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